JulienBrad

Snowpocolypse and sledding!

2012-01-26T18:31:00.000-08:00

After hearing so much national news about Cordova and the epic snow it was receiving, we were unsure exactly what we'd find. We started out with this happy sight, our friends met us at the airport and shoveled most of our car our so that Brad was able to start the engine to warm the car up and drive it out of half of its snow shell! Thanks Kate and Steve!!
After the airport we saw giant piles of snow everywhere, including to the left of our apartment below, which used to be a parking lot! The next day, Brad checked on the boat and it was fine--one board cracked that was supporting the tarp that kept it safe and sound in all the storms. Below is a good shot of all the snow around the boat. You can just see the cab of the truck giving a good idea how deep the snow is...
We were very lucky. Below shows some damage from a building partially collapsing on the boats stored therein.
Below is the front of our library, the snow in the front yard is almost to the doors!Then, after a week of sunshine welcomed us home, it started to snow again....
So we went sledding!We've been to the ski hill several times this week!Avery has even masted butt-sliding! She gets covered in snow, but she loves it!So let the snow keep coming, we'll make the most of it! :)

Daddy Daycare in Las Vegas

2012-01-26T17:58:00.001-08:00

For the 12th year in a row, I headed to Las Vegas, now with Brad (his 5th show) and Avery (her 3rd) at my side. Brad loves this--he gets to spend all day, every day with Avery adventuring around Sin City and with maid and room service to boot!
After a number of years at the very practical Westin hotel, I requested to stay at the Venetian this year. It's quite a hotel!
We all enjoyed our room very much! Worried that asking for a king size bed had upgraded us to a level we shouldn't be at, we asked the bell hop how our room compared to others. He shyly said it was their smallest room! But it was the biggest, best room we'd ever stayed in! :)
By day, Brad and Avery explored the Vegas strip. And came to visit me once or twice a day in my "blue shirt." :)
Then it was back to the room for nap time (shown below post-nap time).As I left work, I would call Brad so he could order room service. And in the evening we three would hang out relaxing, often with a foot rub for me from Brad! We were usually asleep by 9:30 pm! Ahh, the days when I used to dine out and dance until the wee hours...work is much easier in the morning, now that I'm not out playing late at night!
Brad and Avery had their routines all over, one of which was visiting wax Elvis! She ran up to him and grabbed his legs one day and actually teetered him a tiny bit. Next they were posing for a photo and Avery stuck her finger in Elvis' ear. When Brad asked what's in his ear, she replied, "Wax." Smart girl. ;)
All their romping around Vegas wore her out. Below, my little honey, napping without Mama!Brad managed to drag me out of the hotel for one evening outing. We took Avery to the fire drums at the Mirage where she was a little scared last year... Same deal this year. After the below photo was taken and the drums and fire started, we lasted a couple minutes.Another successful trip to sunny Las Vegas and were were on our way north after seven weeks on the road! On our way home to Cordova, we over-nighted in Seattle and finally, after so many late night SEA-TAC layovers, we were there early enough to get together with Brad's friend Jeff and his family! They came to our hotel and we dined in the restaurant across the street. It was perfect and we had a great visit! As many of you may have heard, our tiny town of Cordova made the news while we were gone with the Snowpocolypse! We thought our stuff was safe, but were anxious to get home and see for sure!

Dauphin Island without grad school!

2012-01-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

I think ever since Brad and I left Dauphin Island and grad school in 2008, he's wanted to come back and play. Be at the beach and just play with no homework or thesis hanging over his head. With our extended fishing holiday, we did just that. We spent two wonderful nights on Dauphin Island. Below Avery tried her hand at kite-flying at the pier. She was a natural!
She also got to play with our friends' Sean and Monica's daughter Claire (5), below they're throwing caution to the wind, running (barefoot on pavement!) at the playground.On our second night, Sean and Monica hosted a fantastic gathering of friends from grad school. We played on the sand dunes behind their house before the sun set. I realize Avery looks like she's about to flip feet over head and tumble into a sand ball at the bottom, but she actually only kinda side-flipped and slid to a stop in a matter of feet. She didn't laugh, but she didn't cry either. My big girl!
Below she was no worse for wear, but she did decide she wanted to go inside then. :)
Inside she found her place, playing with Claire in her awesome kitchen!
Below is the great group shot, our dear friends from the Sea Lab: Sean, Monica, big Claire holding Mary Evelyn (2), Justin in back, Brad, Avery, Crystal holding little Claire (5) and Glenn--thanks for a great night everyone!!We also got to spend an evening with our former neighbors! Below are Robbie, Avery, Paula and me (not pictured, Paula's son Doc, now a freshman, so grown up and handsome!). These guys were the best neighbors--always great cooking and spirits high! So good to see y'allAfter such a great relaxing three weeks with Brad's family, we headed off again to Vegas, baby, Vegas...

Louisiana for New Years and New Orleans Aquarium

2012-01-26T16:22:00.000-08:00

After a great Christmas in Daphne and Mobile, we headed west to Brad's sister, Diane and Todd's in Slidell. We had a fun, low-key New Years Eve (Todd was working and Diane accompanied him) with Brad, Avery and me (though Avery was awoken in terror by midnight firecrackers!)
While in Slidell, we took the opportunity to take the kids to the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans! Pictured below are Brad, Diane, Rachel, Brandon and David.
Here Avery is reaching to touch one of the sting rays in the ray tank! Next we stopped at Parakeet Pointe to watch the tiny birds feed from our fingertipsPosing below with Brad and Avery in the rain forest! Phew, I'll say, I had to take off a layer!Below driving with best buddies Avery and Abigail! The best thing about our fishing-friendly extended winter travel this year was that Avery got to spend long hours and days getting to know all her cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents better!

Christmas, etc. in Alabama

2012-01-26T15:37:00.000-08:00

Here it is, almost the end of January and I'm still trying to blog about Christmas! After spending Thanksgiving and three weeks with my family, Brad, Avery and I flew to Alabama to spend three weeks with his family. While staying at Brad's parents, he re-hung two tree swings they used to have at their house on the Mississippi Gulf. Below Avery (2) and Abigail (almost 4) enjoy the "tiny swing" (as opposed to the wider swing for one adult or a few kiddos!) They're also modeling their locally bought Copper River fleece jackets!
Below Lillian (12) and Brad compete to swing the highest. The swings were fun for kids and grown-ups alike!Another special event while we were in Alabama was a celebration for Cheryl's 65th birthday and she and Mike's 45th wedding anniversary (technically in June). Below Avery is bonding with cousin Shelley (almost 14) practicing her 'serious face.'
And here's the original Reynolds clan enjoying the height of the celebration! (Pardon the particles in the air!)We got to spend a lot of time with cousins on this trip, including Brad's cousin Gary and his wife Maria, visiting with their three, Bryan, Tristan (both 7) and Julia (6) from Pennsylvania. Pictured below are also Mimi's oldest Shelley and Lillian and Diane's, Brandon (14) and Rachel (12). For Christmas Day we went to Brad's aunt and uncle, Susie and Kent to celebrate. I got this cute pic with all the girl cousins. From left are Lillian, Rachel, Abigail, Freeman (7), Shelley (in back), Avery, Torie (5) and Julia.
Later on Christmas, back at Mike and Cheryl's, I got this shot with both my southern brothers-in-law, Todd on my right and McGowin on my left.
Opening presents at Gran and Granddad's Avery and Abigail model their matching pink bathrobes--adorable!
Finally, Avery opens her snow shoes from Gran and Granddad! We didn't know it at the time, but she got these the right year--with all the snow Cordova has now!
Another highlight of our holiday in Alabama was that Brad and I got a couple of date nights, specifically below with Gary and Maria at Wintzell's in downtown Mobile.
The holiday isn't over, we're onto Slidell for New Years and New Orleans for the Aquarium!

Family, family, family in Minnesota

2011-12-11T17:50:00.001-08:00

Brad, Avery and I started our 2011 holiday travels to see family with Avery's first-ever plane seat of her own. It was an experience we all enjoyed!
Moving to Alaska in August 2003, I have never been to my nephew, Tristan's December 2nd birthday. This year, being in Minnesota for Thanksgiving made this possible! Below he blows out all eight of his candles. :)While I am still working part-time (loving the flexibility of working anywhere I can get wireless!) Brad has taken Avery on a park adventure most mornings, seen below swinging with Papa.
We got a nice little snow after a few days here and it's gotten pretty cold and windy, so Brad turned to an indoor park a couple days this week. Below Avery enjoys the crazy tunnels at nearby Edinborourgh Park.One of the highlights so far for me was a weekend family reunion at a hotel in St. Cloud, MN about an hour north of the cities. Over 70 of my dad's relatives (lots of tall people) gathered with 4 generations (the youngest is in a generation of her own!) with five babies under a year. It was wonderful to get to see everyone--the last reunion on this scale was in 2001! I was so grateful to be able to be home for this and for my extended family to all meet Brad and Avery!
The next big event was the Women's Gopher basketball games--we were excited to bring Avery since she's been asking to see "baketball" since she saw it from the window at Bidarki, the rec center in Cordova. Well...after less than five minutes of wide-eyed wonder, Avery laid eyes on the mascot, Goldie the 7-foot giant gopher and she was done. Her heart started pounding and she was reaching for the doors and frantically repeating, "Want go home, no get Avery!" Pictured below was as close as she wanted to get to Goldie.Despite myself, Avery asked all week to go to another "baketball" game, "Want see Goldie." So we tried again. And she had a repeat performance. So Brad and I took her to the next door Buffalo Wild Wings and Avery had her first wings (teriyaki), which she really only licked and bit the ends of. She did eat a whole basketful of carrot sticks--sweet!
After our wings "date" we joined my folks, in their Gophers garb and had a late dinner at my all-time favorite hamburger joint, Lions Tap! I love the Minnesota spirit (Avery sings the first line of my college Alma mater "Minnesota, hats off to thee...") With the snow and colder weather, we bundled up today and took a walk in the pasture behind my parents house, where Avery dives into Brad's arms. :)Then Avery helped Gamma shovel the back deck. Such a good helper!We're really enjoying ourselves and looking forward to spending more time with my sister and her family this week before heading south for warmer climes and lots more cousin-fun!

Haystack hike followed by snow, snow, snow!

2011-11-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

Last week Brad and I grabbed a chance with a nice sunny, cold morning when my work was done and hiked Haystack Trail with Avery.
As usual, Avery was a trooper, this day wearing the new backpack she got for her birthday from Gran and Grandad!
A happy day, we posed for a self-timer shot on the bench. :)
It always amazes me how well she has been able to climb stairs that are almost as tall as her little legs are long! And this time, she did many steps without a hand-hold!
Avery hiked the .8 mile trail herself, with only a couple short carries. But that tuckered her out for sure. She slept the whole way out in the Ergo...which Mama loved.
That afternoon, I was catching up on work and my little nursling fell asleep again (her morning hike nap was only about 30 minutes) for about 30 minutes at 5 pm! We got our hike in just in time...that afternoon around 2:30 pm, an unexpected snowfall (that was supposed to accumulate about 1"!) dumped almost a foot of snow in just a few hours!And caught many people unawares... Above is our fish truck which still needs to be stored for the winter!It's a winter wonderland for sure! The view this morning from my "office" window. :)Above is Avery in her "new" Copper River Fleece jacket--she got two jackets for her first birthday in 2010, so we exchanged one for a bigger size. She's outgrown her old pink one, we we just added a new trim to her bigger blue one to match the hat she got from Grandma and Papa for her second birthday! Just a funny photo of our new Wednesday dinner routine--it's an open swim night at the pool from 6-8 pm, so we swim for an hour and then come home for a quick dinner of popcorn, salmon and cream cheese on Ritz and whatever else is left over! :) Fine dinning at its best!

So I realize I never really wrapped up our fishing season on the blog. It was a great season for us filled with lessons about what to do differently and what to repeat next year. We had a super sockeye season while I was learning to be a "fish wife" baking lasagnas every week to send with Brad when he didn't have a damaged salmon to cook on the boat. And he was in heaven, working out of doors, his own boss, learning volumes about his boat and fishing. The annual break between sockeye and silvers was longer than we expected, and in fact the silver season wasn't as strong as we had hoped. But there's always next year. :)

Now, with the snow piling up, I am loving having Brad home (one of my favorite benefits of the seasonal fishing lifestyle!) and Avery is thriving for having both parents with her. A friend of Brad's once said that if you can imagine yourself in a sandbox with someone for 24 hours that you're probably pretty compatible. With my work and Brad's "Daddy Daycare" there's not much time for outside socializing. I feel like I'm living in a sandbox with my two favorite people and I couldn't be happier about it. :)

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for our winter travels...Minnesota for Thanksgiving and Alabama for Christmas and New Years, then Vegas, baby, Vegas for my 12th CES! Happy winter everyone!

Halloween fun

2011-11-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone (yesterday)! We had a fun holiday up here in Cordova, despite the cold, sideways rain!
Our little Avery, now 2, was a sheep this year thanks to our friend Krysta who made this awesome (cold weather designed!) costume. Above Avery poses uncertain about the photographer, Dennis, our friend who "shoots" all the kiddos in costume for a contest at our local grocery store. Last year, Avery won the cutest baby award!! :)Next we went to the library's annual Halloween book fair for a free book and followed that up with a ride on the fire truck! She doesn't look excited, but boy, was she. And the finale of our Halloween was dinner and trick-or-treaters at Avery's best bud, Skyla (aka "Hyla")'s house. Since I knew my little furnace of a daughter would roast after 5 minutes indoors in the adorable sheep costume, I made up the "butterfly fairy" costume complete with earrings, bracelets, crown and (the only reason I bought the set...) a butterfly wand. She loves the jewelry more than I could imagine. After 10 minutes in this costume, however, the girls traded. Ahh, what fun to have a girlfriend to trade clothes with!
And before the night was over, the grown ups put their daughters in scary masks and watched them...what, try to have a thumb war? Who knows what they were doing, probably trying to find each other through the mask's eye holes! :) The whole night was a lot of fun!

Sheridan Glacier T&Ts!

2011-10-10T23:28:00.001-07:00

After a couple weeks of predominantly rainy-windy weather, we scored one more nice day Sunday and headed out to Sheridan Glacier with Mike & Cheryl aka Gandaddy and Gan. Avery was raring to go, stopping and turning for a quick "cheese!" before she lead the way down the .7 mile ATV trail to the glacial lake's edge.
And our hike was rewarded with the beautiful views of Sheridan Glacier below!And what to do with all that ice?
Why, shave some off for Tanqueray & Tonic's on glacier ice!With glacier ice and lime wedge in her cup, Avery was ready. We discovered she loves tonic water!
Bartender Brad mixed the drinks...
...while Avery practiced her new 'serious' face......which always cracks her up. :)And we all toast a wonderful afternoon at the glacier!Avery was a real trooper--the trail's not particularly difficult, but it is steep in parts and has plenty of loose rocks and gravel. She did great hiking, taking the aide of Gandad's walking stick for the final stretch out.

We've had a great visit with Gan and Gandad, despite being their rainiest visit ever. Avery has especially loved having them and has learned several songs to ask for by name ('rocking baby,' 'boat,' aka row row row your boat and 'itdie pider' aka itsy bitsy spider). We're all glad we'll have a good long holiday together this winter--three weeks in Minnesota with my family for Thanksgiving and then three weeks in Alabama for Christmas and New Years before heading to Vegas for CES. A great winter ahead with family!

Shepard Point with Gran & Grandad

2011-10-04T23:34:00.000-07:00

Brad's parents came into town last week for a visit and the sun's hardly come out! Today was a blue sky day so we headed north to Shepard Point on the Early Run.
We left at Avery's nap time, hoping she would sleep on the way out. She fell asleep in my arms after Gran lulled her with "Rock-a-bye Baby" above--moments a grandmother cherishes. :)Brad dropped us all off on the beach and paddled to shore to join the picnic!
We had the classic cream cheese on Ritz with Brad-caught smoked Copper River reds while Brad worked on the fire for hotdogs. Avery couldn't wait until I dressed them up though.Grandad and Avery posing by the waterfall.
Brad helped Avery "rock climb" and she's very proud of herself. ;)Me, Avery and Cheryl in the lovely late afternoon sun with the Early Run and our picnic site in the background--a beautiful day!Squirrely little Avery...trying to get her to pose with Gran and Grandad in front of the waterfall. Avery's loving having another set of loving grandparents visiting, singing "rocking baby" with Gan and saying "hooway" to Gandad's "hip hip."

Avery loves the pool!

2011-10-04T23:25:00.000-07:00

After pool visits at 6 months and 18 months, with a screaming Avery, she finally loves the pool! She and Brad went into the pool to get a schedule a few weeks ago and ever since, she asked to go to the pool. Doubtful after earlier attempts, we brought her last weekend...and we haven't missed a kid-pool session since. Forgetting my camera, I was grateful to my mother-in-law--Brad's parents are visiting for a couple weeks--and Cheryl got some cute photos!
Avery loves noodles to eat (she calls them noo-noos) now she loves water noo-noos, too!Avery and her best buddy, Skyla; she's a really water baby--a great inspiration for Avery!
Typical of young ones, Avery has no fear. She'd jump without a net if we let her. Loving that Avery has found a love of the pool! :)

Eyak summit on a sunny day!

2011-09-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day and decided to make the most of it! For the past six years, Brad and I have done some variation of the Alice Smith Inter-tie loop hike--with me pregnant and last year with Avery. She's a great little hiker, but we knew Eyak summit would be a bit much for her.
We took several breaks, including this one at Midway where Brad had my heart jumping when he pushed Avery on the ski lift chair a good distance off the ground.
And she got plenty of shoulder rides... :)
...and took a nice nap in the Ergo. I was pleased I still had it in me to hike gracefully up steep trails with a sleeping (29 pound!) child on my back, trying never to loose balance or land too hard, lest she wake up. The top is in sight!!After a nice lunch below the summit, Avery was raring to go!Thank goodness Brad didn't mind taking Avery up the rest of the way... If it looks like he's straight above me, it's because he is. This is steep!Ahh, at the top at last! This is, without a doubt, my favorite view--all time. Town, the water, the panoramic mountainscape--I love it!
After all that hiking, we took a little rest to nurse. :)On the way down, Avery pondered this pond. Her vocabulary is growing so fast, everything new we showed her, she repeated (or close). She is such a sponge!
Brad and Avery throwing rocks, at her request: "Frow rock wama" (wama=water) into the pond.She was such a little trooper! When we did the same hike last September before she could walk, she was a little less than happy about being worn on Brad's back the whole way. This time she got more variety--hiking herself, on Mama's back and in Daddy's arms.Happy to have adjusted our expectations on what hikes Brad and I can do right now, we had such a wonderful day hiking with Avery! The round-trip took us 6 hours and it was worth every minute. I like to think that taking her on hikes like this will help foster in her a love of the outdoors that we can share with her forever! Thanks for reading! :)

Sheridan Glacier with Gamma-Papa

2011-09-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

With the bridge at 36-mile closed for the season, there'll be no more Child's Glacier viewing this year. So we took a chance with an unexpectedly nice Sunday morning and took my parents to Sheridan Glacier!
It was a spectacular view (as seen below)......but Avery wanted to get closer. So below, Brad walked her down the steep, steep loose gravelly hill to sit at the lake's edge and chew on glacier ice! Below my folks pose in front of the glacier.And Brad brings in the rear, carrying Avery on his shoulders. I don't wear her as much as I used to, but she still likes to be carried some. My arms get tired, but Brad's shoulders are a great, quick boost for her! Then she's down on the trail a'hiking some more!Sheridan was a great consolation prize this fall with Child's Glacier closed.

Avery's 2nd birthday

2011-09-19T17:06:00.001-07:00

Avery's 2nd birthday is actually tomorrow, but we celebrated Saturday with a few friends and cake! Unlike last year, she understood about cake and candles (aided by the preview we had for Brad's birthday a couple weeks ago) and blew out all the candles by herself (modeling her new Copper River Fleece hat from Gamma-Papa)!
Below is one of Avery's guests of honor, Kate, reading her the book she gave her, Turnaround Ptarmigan!" Avery LOVES Kate! :) (NOTE: the Birthday Girl shirt was a hand-me-down from her best bud Skyla who couldn't be at the party, but was there in spirit!)
For her birthday, Brad and I got her a student (read: inexpensive!) ukulele and she loves it! She's been playing our guitars so we thought she'd enjoy her own. Brad even added a strap to it last night and she walks around singing LAA-LAA-LAA all around.Another of Avery's favorite people, Beth, steadies the stepping stool Gamma-Papa got her.And here, Papa helps Avery figure out how to hold "Avery 'tar" (Avery's guitar) without pressing the strings down (she doesn't quite understand chords yet) so she can get the maximum strum!It was a great birthday with great friends! It's been a great year too, Avery is just getting cuter all the time. She's more grown up, saying "peeze" and "tee too" mostly without being reminded! She's playing peek-a-boo, hide-and-seek and making up all kinds of funny games! Terrible Two's my foot, I call this the Talking Two's! :)

Boat ride to Shepard Point with Gamma-Papa

2011-09-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

My parents are visiting from Minnesota to help us celebrate Avery's 2nd birthday! It was nice the day they arrived (after a week of windy-rainy) and then the weather got crummy again. So we jumped at the chance to take the Early Run out for a spin last Sunday when the weather gave us one day in between storms!
While Brad built a fire for roasting hotdogs, I served up appetizers of salmon and cream cheese on Ritz--that's Brad Reynolds-caught Alaskan wild Sockeye!
After snacking some, Avery entertained herself by exploring the beach and found this moon jelly.Then she and Brad went a strolling along the beach practicing one of her favorite things, balancing!
After a lovely afternoon, Captain Chip drives us home! A funny story about my dad's hat--he knitted it himself more than 35 years ago! It's like an institution, this hat, on his head every day, every winter my whole life. And while the style may be a bit out of date, it still looks almost brand new! Love that hat!

A month of Saturdays!

2011-08-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

Well into our first fishing season, we can safely say it was the right thing to do for our family. The biggest perk (besides getting Brad outside and away from the computer!) is the seven months we look forward having Brad home in the winter. We've gotten a preview of that for the last month during the natural break in between salmon fisheries. Sockeye gradually end in late July and silvers start to run in mid to late August. While we thought this break would be a week or two, it will be one month Monday since Brad fished. Every day feels like Saturday!! He plans to head out tomorrow for Monday's 24 hour opener on the Flats and fish Thursday if there's another opener, returning home for the weekend.
After enjoying our mini family vacation, a nice hike or two in between August's windy/rainy days, Brad was starting to get a little stir-crazy. Last summer, I picked up the above pictured chair (note the much younger Avery) from a friend who had meant to reupholster it for her granddaughter but didn't get around to it.

In January, my friend Karen (with the help of Avery and her #1 buddy, Skyla) and I ripped off the matted old green upholstery and stapled on some soft backing.
And that's where the chair sat for eight months. Until Brad needed an indoor project... :) Turns out the upholstery tacks were pretty tough (impossible!) for me to push in, so I was glad Brad wanted to help.
Avery helped, too. ;)She loves her new chair (though she bounces on it so hard I think it may not survive her!) and was repeating "Tee do Daddy" (Thank you Daddy) all night. ;)Another project we used to fill Brad's free time was to switch Avery's larger room for our smaller one. We moved one of the giant storage shelves Brad built into our storage locker and put the futon and the second giant shelf into our old room. Then we put our queen bed into Avery's old room. Now we put Avery to bed in the futon (a big girl bed!) where she sleeps anywhere from two to five hours then wakes up, walks to our room and crawls into bed with us. I think it's time to put the crib in storage for Avery's one-day sibling! :)It's been absolute heaven to have Brad home lately, not just home after working 9-5, but home all day. And having him so happy... We expect about another month of fishing silvers and while I'm not so excited about being a solo mama again Monday-Friday, I know now how much we will enjoy our winter together, Mama, Daddy, Avery! :) Thanks for reading!

Our little "BID" tree hugger

2011-08-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last week (before we went to the glacier--I'm posting out of order again!) we took Avery on her second hike--on her own two feet--of Heney Ridge Trail. Our goal was The Big Tree. She did great on the up and down, stairs and planks, roots and rocks, holding Brad's or my hand.
She also enjoyed getting her baby size 5 Xtra Tuffs wet in the boggy meadows...We made it to and past all three meadows (where we turned around last time) and sat for a nurse and a snuggle on the big bridge. Notice the salmon swimming below our feet. We (Brad) were hoping to see a bear snacking down stream, but no luck (Phew!)
We asked Avery if she wanted to keep hiking, to see the BIG tree and she said yes, so off we went the next couple hundred basically flat yards. Below is her revered reaction, looking way up what she calls the "BID" tree.And there she is, the big tree...The first word out of Avery's mouth was 'hug' so Brad walked her to the tree's huge base--approximately 24 feet around......so she could give the tree a hug. Not even two years old, our little "BID" tree hugger. ;)
We hiked out with Avery continuing a mix of holding our hands, riding on Brad's shoulders or my back. What a good little hiker!! Thanks for reading!

Childs Glacier and Avery's first bear!

2011-08-11T22:05:00.001-07:00

When it rains sideways and blows 50+ mph for a week, the sunshine is an even more welcome friend! We spent today at the glacier with our friend Karen, her daughter Skyla (Avery's BEST bud) and Karen's visiting parents. It was awesome!
Avery got some good Skyla time (her most favorite word to repeat, besides "Mama, Daddy, Avery" is HYLA!)
I got some good Skyla time.And Avery got some good Karen time!
Avery and I followed Karen and Skyla down the steep rocky shore to the water's edge for a photo op. Then I saw some people at the top of the shore pointing towards the glacier saying "bear." I thought it was a bear on the glacier (we saw that in May).
But no, it was a black bear about 120 yards down the beach! We hustled up the shore as he did the same, going away from the viewing area where our family and friends were. Avery signed and said "bear" all the way home, saying 'scared' but seeming very excited about it, after the fact. :) Great first bear viewing!! :)

Wedding and Salmon Jam

2011-08-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

OK I'm kind of posting out of order. These next several photos were actually before our mini vacation which I posted last week, but I wanted to share these photos anyway.
We had a wonderful night at our friends' Bert and River's wedding (ceremony photo below), celebrating their union and loving being together as a family (pictured above *_*).At the wedding, Avery also enjoyed our friends' daughter Piper who, sadly, lives in Colorado.Captured a cute moment of the girls kissing too. :)
The following weekend, after our mini vacation, we all enjoyed the 11th annual Salmon Jam! I volunteer there, helping coordinate artists for an arts and crafts corner at the summer music festival.
With Brad home from fishing, he was able to watch Avery while I worked a few hours helping prep for the festival, then he rode his bike up to the Ski Hill with Avery in tow. She got a balloon. Happy girl!
And got to walk around (Avery took her hand) with her friend Genevieve (almost 4).
It was an exceptionally fun Salmon Jam for me because Avery was there with Brad and everyone had a good time! Just loving having Brad home from fishing for a bit!

Mini family vacation

2011-08-01T01:02:00.000-07:00

When the number of sockeye running started naturally dwindling last week before the silvers start running, Brad called me from the Flats and suggested he come home for a mini vacation!! We borrowed the guest cabin of two Cordovans, Bob and Joanie Behrends (same place we vacationed last year) and enjoyed four heavenly days of relaxing together as a family! Pictured below on the side deck of the cabin.
Avery's favorite thing to do was the swing...with Brad only. She would say, "wing!" and off they would go. She had two theme songs this week. One was "Daddy home." She repeated this randomly throughout the week. :) After 'winging' she would say "haberry" which was her word for strawberry. Then they'd 'wun' (run) through the field of a yard to the strawberry patch where Brad would feed our little strawberry hound berry after delicious berry! Below is Brad 'wun'ing with Avery. :)After swinging, running and eating berries, she's say "car" and would entertain herself forever just pushing buttons and climbing all over the car while we sat 15 feet away on the deck and played guitar, drank a couple beers and relaxed together as adults. She scared herself a few times by leaning on the horn, but that was fun for us!
For the indoor times when there were a few showers, we bought some Play Doh in Valdez. Proved to be a very essential toy!One afternoon we made our way to McCarthy. Below we're walking the bridge over the river towards town. I love the serious expression on her face.
And we let her have some ice cream, we're on vacation after all right? Man, there's nothing to make a girl practice her manners like ice cream. She says please pretty well, but needs reminding sometimes. I try to get her to ask "More please" but often only get more or please. When we had that ice cream though, she was saying, "More peeze" non-stop! :)
For some activity we found a nice trail we hadn't found last year. It was pretty buggy so Brad's using a stick to swash at bugs. Despite our best efforts, bug dope and bug candles/coils, poor Avery got at least 40 bites on her head, face, neck and hands. Ouch! She's a trooper, but was pretty itchy at night...
After a few sunny days, we all needed a bath. Avery got in the same tub we bathed her in last year. See below for comparison.Such a little fatty she was, but she sure fills the tub up now!
We had the best time, just relaxing and being together--every day, for four days straight. Avery's other theme song was "Mama, Daddy, Avery"--which she repeated all week as well. It was neat to notice how she really tuned into all of us being together. :) Thanks to the Behrends for use of their guest cabin and thanks everyone for reading our blog!

July highlights, so far...

2011-07-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

July has been wonderful--great weather, only scattered showers and plenty of dry days to make it more fun to get outside! With Brad fishing Monday-Friday, he's getting pretty homesick for his darling daughter so I have started taking the camera with wherever we go to capture 'the day in pictures' for Brad. Below she was testing the waterproofness of her new hand-me-down BOGS boots... I forgot to tell her they are only waterproof to the top of the boot. :)
Below a rare photo of Avery looking at the camera for a self-portrait me Mama and me.Below is from Cordova's 4th of July celebration and kelp box car derby on Main Street. Avery didn't need an invitation to sit down on the sidewalk to watch the cars race by!
Here she's too busy looking at her raffle ticket to bother noticing that there's a foot race about to begin! All the 2 year olds raced to their moms, but Avery (with me since Brad was fishing) didn't have anyone to race to. And her raffle ticket was so interesting. Next, all the applause that started when the gun went off made her freeze. She only walked a step or two into race. Next year honey. ;)Below on a splendid weekend day off with Brad, waling to the store. She's getting interested in helping and carrying a bag!Below she grabbed the basket herself (a first) and carried it all through the store. So grown up!
She's also gotten pretty attached recently to her baby, a gift from her Gran (Brad's mom) last spring. She feeds her baby, nurses her (on mommy), hugs and kisses her baby's boo boos and carries her everywhere!Besides kissing her baby's boo boos, she also kisses imaginary boo boos, like a funny grain of wood on our kitchen table, a bump of paint on the wall and below the nick on the side of the slide. What a little honey! Below she's practicing her new favorite--walking on narrow things. There's an old railroad rail she balances on very well too!Lastly, here's Avery sitting by the harbor handing Brad a flower--such a sweet moment enjoying having her Daddy home.
Thanks for reading everyone!

Avery's friends

2011-07-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

After so many months of a shy, sober Avery, she's really coming out of her shell! Her BFF (best friend forever!) is definitely Skyla, picture below. With her mom teaching swim lessons twice a week, we get to have Skyla over to play for a couple hours every Tuesday and Thursday. She's seven and a half months older than Avery, but that gap is shrinking all the time!
We also are getting more time at the park lately. Both Karen (Skyla's mom) and I now have cell phones so we can text if we're out and about for park hook-ups on the go. A great way to get some extra BFF time (seen below running to greet and hug at the elementary school playground)!Below Avery is captivated by her first boyfriend, Mark's cell/camera phone. She loved him even before he took out his phone. :) He is a fellow Minnesotan who lived in Cordova for a few years. He was visiting recently and came over for several visits. More than a week after he left, I asked Avery "Guess who's coming over to play today?" thinking she would say "Hyla" (Skyla) in a heartbeat. But no, her first guess was Mark! :) She misses you Mark!
Although her deep fondness for Mark (pictured at right, below) didn't stop her from being a 'terrible-almost-2' when we had him over for breakfast one morning. She cried for no reason we could figure out for a good long while... Maybe she figured out he has a girlfriend back home. :(
Below our good friend Paul (former long-time Cordova resident) was in town for a visit this week and brought his girlfriend, Valerie to catch up. Having never met either of them, Avery was immediately taken with Valerie (true, she had a phone--that might have helped). It made me so proud to see her sitting with a stranger where a few months ago she never would have done that!
And below is Avery, in her dear friend (and ours!) Kate's lap at a Salmon Festival planning meeting. I brought her to the meeting because Brad was fishing and she was great--doing cute things to entertain the meeting participants and also sitting calmly in Kate's lap so the meeting could continue. She's just growing up so much!!
Lastly, we visited our friend Janice the other week and Avery got to play on her trampoline! She didn't do any flips, but she's gaining confidence and agility all the time. I have not doubt that she could be a Tumbling Reynoldsssss before long! :)
Thanks for reading our blog!

Surprise visit from Brad!

2011-07-03T22:22:00.000-07:00

A month into our first fishing season, Brad headed to the Sound to fish for what we expected--according to the last couple year's pattern--to be 4-6 weeks. He fished there with moderate success, but by the end of the second week, things had slowed down enough to justify a trip home!! He said it was to switch nets...which I could have sent him, but also to see his girls!
As luck would have it, the weather was beautiful Saturday (he got home around 1 am!), so after a decadent big breakfast and a pot of coffee, we jumped on the Early Run for a family day picnic! It was only the third time Avery and I have gone out for a ride, and the first time we made a day of it. We attempted this trip twice before, but weather or work always got in the way.Avery was all but scampering up the side of the boat to get a better look at all the gulls swarming the nearby canneries.
We got to our destination--Shepard Point, an abandoned cannery about 7 miles north of Cordova. Clouds threatened...but we persevered.Brad made a fire, above, while I layered Avery up, below--where she discovered with glee what pockets are for! :)
We dined on our own, Brad-caught smoked Copper River sockeye salmon; Avery likes it too!
And we kicked back with glasses of wine (Avery is getting more and more useful, uh, I mean helpful all the time! *_*)
Brad and Avery walked the beach, admiring our little boat...And Brad delighted Avery by throwing rocks!We all had such a good time together...As Avery and I waited at the steeper part of the beach for Brad to come get us at the end of the day, I played this new game I invented with Avery. She kisses my cheek, I squeal and jump and giggle. She laughs and does it again! And I get tons of kisses! :)
And here's Brad, picking us up as more threatening clouds roll in. It's so good to have a jet boat...
To top off a great day, we dined on King salmon, rice and spinach (always forget how much that cooks down! *_*)
Avery devoured a whole adult-size serving of the prized salmon, fingers and chin glistening from the healthy Omega-3s and tried to lick more out of her bowl!
It was a seriously fabulous weekend!! In fact, it made my season. Brad decided to switch and fish another opener or two on the nearer-by Flats this week, planning to--having to--return again to switch his net before going back to the Sound. This means two things: 1) we'll see him again in 5 days or less and 2) that he likely will not be gone more than a couple weeks, possibly three at a stretch the rest of the season. Avery and I can totally handle that. :)

Thanks for reading! Happy 4th of July! :)

Our brown-nosed girl...

2011-07-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

While Avery may be my original brown-eyed girl, she's a brown-nosed girl this week... A little trip-and-fall at the playground Wednesday evening left this slight scrap below. She cried, but was nursed happy in a minute and was distracted by a ball rolling by. I was thinking, sad, but no big deal.
...woke up the next morning to find a very large, brown scab nearly covering her cute little nose.And then, wouldn't you know it, the next morning, scab healing nicely, she tipped a framed picture over that was leaning against the wall and...somehow...all but scrapped half the scab off her nose. OUCH!
I know the more toddlers get around--walking, playing, running--the more they fall down. But boy, it's sure sad to look at her little scabbed nose! :)

Midway to Midway

2011-06-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

With Brad off in the Sound, likely for 4-6 weeks, I thought I'd try taking Avery on my favorite hike for our first day of this long spell without Daddy. She did well, though I probably shouldn't have started by walking/wearing her up the hill from our apartment. Adding the extra 500 feet elevation and 20 minutes to our trip may have been a bit much for her. ;)
But if she could sit down and play with rocks every now and then, she was happy. :)
Here we are near her turn-around. She's started say "humo" meaning home, she said it here, so I asked, "Do you want to go home?" "Yah," she said. So we turned around and all but slid down the steep, big-rocky hill behind us! We made it about midway to Midway. :)
Then at the bottom of the trail, she wanted to go up again! She walked up the hill to her left, up to the little blue snack shack (only open in winter time with the Ski Hill) and down the 'bunny hill.' She wasn't even ready to go home then, but I had to insist--it was lunch time...carrying a few extra (28!) pounds made Mama hungry!She's appearing to like hiking a lot. Or walking in general. "Wa" is her word for walk and comes out of her mouth before she's even out of her PJs before breakfast! :)

Father's Day...observed

2011-06-21T23:52:00.000-07:00

With a busy boat day ahead of him, Brad took Saturday to spend with Avery and me. So we called if Father's Day Observed and went on a three hour hike with Avery!
Once she got over her fascination with the slugs (or "ha" as she called them)--and there were many in the first 100 yards--we moved along nicely on our hike.
She really did amazingly well on this, not-too-steep, but very rooty, rocky trail. She only held onto Brad's or my hand and threw her feet up each step. She asked to be carried a few times, of course, but all in all, she was a real champion hiker!
We made it to the first meadow and she impressed us again on these planks. She fell a couple times, but it's soft and wasn't too sloppy wet, so she'd get up and keep trucking.
Here she is, happily charging towards Mama. She said, "ha!" all the way home. We'd ask, "Slug?" and she'd say, "Yah!"Knowing Brad is in the Sound for the next 4-6 weeks, we all really enjoyed our Family/Father's Day Observed!

May/June highlights

2011-06-13T00:59:00.000-07:00

With the great dry weather we've been having, one of Avery's favorite things to do is 'wa' or walk. :) For a while she was picking up rocks too, or 'ra'-seen below with one big one and a bunch of tiny ones in her right hand. She'd pick up the little ones and drop one to pick up more. She couldn't set down the big one, so she studiously kept at it until she'd picked up all the little ones.
She also enjoys picking dandelions. So far she hasn't picked any potted flowers (that I've seen...) but she has come home with yellow nose and fingertips. :)
She's still doing downward dog (seen below on our sunny balcony--our 'yard' in a sense).
And sometimes it makes her hair crazy... :)
She finally climbed to the top of the changing table...(grr!)
And still climbs the fish sculpture by the library (the first 'step', that red metal below, is above her waist!)
She also enjoy expressing herself through her wardrobe, getting more and more involved in what she wears all the time. For a week she was wearing this hand-me-down swimsuit from 3 year old Ingrid...over her clothes. We actually went for a walk like this one afternoon (in clothes, not PJ's...cause THAT would be weird...?). I figured, hey, when else can you get away with wearing your swimsuit over your clothes, if not as a kid. ;)
And we got Avery a potty chair. She asked to go potty using the baby sign (make a fist with your thumb between index and middle fingers and wiggle your fist) and saying 'potty?' in May when I was working at the kayak shop. So I figured she was trying to tell me something. She still won't sit on her potty without a diaper ('cold!' she signed) but it's a start. :)And here Avery is with her buddy Skyla (thanks Karen for the photo!) We haven't seen as much of each other these past couple months (I blame fishing) so it's great to see these girls having fun together again! They are sporting Skyla's new swim jackets! :) What cheeseballs! :)

Childs Glacier and Haystack Trail for Memorial Day

2011-06-13T00:31:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend, Brad had a second opener slip by due to boat/mechanical issues. So we decided to make lemonade out of lemons and go to the Glacier!
It was Avery's second trip to Child's Glacier, but the first one where she could walk! We stayed on our toes chasing after our little mover.She loved the rocks all the little rocks...once we coaxed her to climb down the big ones to this fort someone left before us.
She also loved the water pump! She kept getting close, waiting for the water to magically fall...
...and getting so excited when it did! Luckily, surprisingly, she didn't get too wet.
On the drive home, Avery fell asleep. Of course. But she randomly woke up just before we reached Haystack Trail so we took her on her first hike!!
She was just tickled to be hiking by herself on these planks! She made it all the way to the first bench with only two short carries. Not bad for her first hike. First of many! While missing the opener was a bummer, we had such a nice day together... After a very busy start to our first fishing season, this was the first full-on family adventure day we've had in weeks. It was just the best day! :)

The Fish...

2011-06-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

Here's Brad, a couple openers ago, with his first commercial-caught King salmon! It was a heafty 40 pounder and had Brad all smiles!
Below is the floor of the boat with the empty reel (the net was back in the water 'fishing') with our wonderful sockeye (red) salmon bled and awaiting the ice in Brad's fish holds. Bleeding and icing the fish on the boat help preserve the sensational quality of the Copper River salmon!
In the harbor the other day, Brad took 15 red salmon and one 26-pound King salmon off the boat to bring to Copper River Seafood to have filleted and vacuum-packed, while Avery and I look on.
And here is that nice 26-pound King salmon, that we will have filleted, portioned and vacuum packed for winter dining. :) It feels pretty good to be putting some fish in our freezer!
Below you can see the difference in size between this nice King and the 6-pound red salmon beside him. All are tasty and wonderful, but this King is a real treat! :)
And below we took the fish to a local processor where they were about to weigh out catch and fill out the paperwork as to how we want the fish prepared. Since we're not equipped at the moment to fillet and vacuum pack this much fish, it feels good to do business with Copper River Seafood. And it's pretty darn convenient too. Drop off the raw fish, pick up smoked jars, fillets, portions--vacuum packed. It's going to be an Omega-3 winter! :)

First fish!!

2011-05-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

After much planning, preparing, and waiting, Brad has returned from his first commercial fishing opener! It was a long 36-hour opener and he caught an average amount of fish even compared to experienced fishermen. And he had a blast!
Above is Brad with his first set in the water. He's wearing his grandfather, Papaw's hat for luck.
And here's his first King salmon...ahh what a beautiful fish, weighing in at 22 pounds.Watching the corks float from atop the boat's cabin, enjoying the life...
And the catch...a wonderful pile of sockeye!

Brad's report from the sea is that the first day was "shangra la"--bright sun and light winds with flat water. The first few sets were the best and they declined after that, giving Brad time to learn the gear. Sleeping was another story. He arrived on the fishing grounds Wednesday night for the Thursday 7 am opener. Too excited to sleep, he dosed lightly, and enjoyed just being out there all day Thursday. A breeze picked up that evening, which combined with ocean swell, caused the Early Run to pitch pretty hard Thursday night. So Brad spent a second sleepless night. Friday the boat was really bumpy too, and reports from others agree--it was pretty rough out there. So he got one perfect first day and one rocky, wavy day to practice fishing in both. In harbor by 9 pm Friday (the fishing closed at 7 pm) we celebrated with a glass of champagne on our balcony watching the summer sun set over Hawkins. This is the life!

Almost first fish...

2011-05-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

We've had an incredibly busy five weeks. Especially Brad. In preparing for fishing, he has learned an amazing amount about boat mechanics. We're also learning that the word boat is really an acronym for Break Out Another Thousand. From engine to hydraulics Brad is learning and improving our boat inside and out!
Our first, of many, family shots on board, with Cordova and Mt. Eyak in the background.
Above is our slip, K-16, Brad's home port. ;)
Without the net on, Avery enjoyed walking under the reel. :)
For a pre-season bonus, Brad bid on a contract with the local CDFU (Cordova District Fisherman United) to build and install what's known as the "stick channel" and place buoy markers for two areas of the fishing grounds known as the (mud) Flats, where the tide and currents change the channels each year. These two sets of markers help the fishermen find their way out and back home. Brad had helped another fisherman pull the stick channel one year and has spent plenty of time doing scientific research in this area for the Science Center.
It was quite a bit of work, however, to cut down, limb and trailer to town 35 100-pound trees, paint the signs and fasten them along with metal flashing to the trees. Not to mention the complicated system Brad's predecessor taught him for installing the "sticks" but it was a good experience and now he really knows those tides and those channels. Luckily, Brad's nephew David (22) and his buddy Vincent came up this summer to gain employment in the fishing industry. So while they walked the docks morning and night, they were a huge (hired *_*) help to Brad during the day allowing him to do the extensive work he had of spring maintenance like repainting the jet parts, changing filters, etc.
The last part of the contract was placing the above buoys at a place known as the racetrack. His boat was very buoyant that day. With the contract done, Brad has returned his focus to the boat, changing part of his hydraulic system, installing a high water alarm, and other items. We missed the first two fishing openers being in Alabama--but one of them, the weather was so bad he wouldn't have gone out anyway. He's also has had a couple minor things break and so has had to spend time learning and repairing, which unfortunately cost him one more opener yesterday.

By way of a brief explanation of the fishing industry to those who don't know, Alaska's extremely well-managed fishery only opens the fishing grounds when enough fish have 'escaped' fishermen and survived to get upriver and spawn. They determine this via aerial surveys and sonar equipment upriver. They then make announcements twice a week as to which fishing areas are open to fish. The openers can be 12 hours long, 24, 36, 48 or more. The Flats are near home (1-3 hours drive) at the mouth of the great Copper River. The Sound is the other fishing area, broken up into several districts, and which is also further away. The openers there tend to be longer, with less time 'closed.' Considering the longer drive home he'll probably stay out for 5-6 weeks straight when he goes to the Sound, thus beginning our life as a fishing family. :)

Unexpected trip South

2011-05-23T23:27:00.001-07:00

On Friday the 13th, Brad got a call from his father that his grandmother was in the hospital with viral pneumonia. We thought about it for about a minute, and decided to fly to Alabama to see her. It was a very good visit with Brad's family and Nana recovered enough while we were there to be moved to a hospice the day after we left. Below are a few shots from our 5-day trip South.
We flew out on a beautiful sunny day, seen above with Cordova nestled in the upper center of this photo.
With a 7-hour layover in Anchorage before our red-eye to Houston, we took a bus downtown and played in the park for a few hours. What a novelty, to walk in grass and have uninterrupted Brad time after his busy, busy April 15-May 15!
Above is Brad's sister's Diane and Mimi, her daughter Freeman in back with Brad and Avery, who has become so much more social in the last few months. She was in auntie's and cousin's laps and arms more than in Brad's or mine! The weather was thankfully cool and not too humid, but warm enough for Avery to wear shorts for the first time! :)
Must have been ready for a nap above the way Avery's lounging on Brad's head.
Abigail is Avery's closest aged girl cousin at almost three and a half. And as the little sister to three siblings, Abbie loved being the big girl, hefting Avery around and helping her do this or that. They were very cute together!
I just can't stop taking pictures of Avery sleeping in her car seat. I love the wings of her hair!

May update and talking video

2011-05-23T22:36:00.001-07:00

It's been an incredibly busy May! Brad has been working non-stop in preparation for fishing, but before I get to that, let me share a handful of Avery news and photos.

Above is a short video, not staged, I swear (well it was for the video, but she answered this way the first time), where she answers my question, "How'd you get so cute?" Plus she says a few of her recent words--first time on the blog. The last pair of words she says reminds me distinctly of our young friend, Shea, now 5, saying 'water' and sounding like lar-lar. ;) How come kids' voices are so darn cute??

Pictured above eating Kraft Spirals mac & cheese Avery proves that, despite her red hair and brown eyes, she is definitely my daughter. :)

While I was in the other room, Avery studiously stacked all these blocks--a first for her. :) Note the cute Baby Legs my cousin Meredith sent us when Avery was a baby. Now they remind me of Flashdance leg warmers--such style! :)

Here Avery's tucked herself away in the cool tubes we borrowed from our friend Kate, playing along on her little computer, a nice hand-me-down from her cousin Evan. :)

Ah, my Cordova girl, suited up and ready for a walk in the rain with a smile to boot! :)

Here's Avery's first 'fat lip.' Not bad as fat lips go, she got this falling face first down a few of the metal grated stairs by our Post Office. Ouch! Her lip bled some and she certainly cried, but she was quickly distracted by a friend walking by with their dog. "Doggie?" she whimpered.
Here she shows her new inclination toward climbing. This is the furthest she's gotten on the changing table, but she climbed up onto a stool the other day that is above my mid-thigh. Thus proving, she is certainly Brad's daughter as well.
Above I had resisted her taking her shirt off for no reason when I remembered about picking my battles. I let her proceed and she went happily about in this disco arrangement for hours. :)

It's not all about Avery...

2011-04-26T22:21:00.001-07:00

There's a new girl in our life... Her name is the Early Run: she's a 27-foot bow-picker, also known as a commercial fishing vessel, that Brad and I bought on November 1. (Nope, we're not pregnant. *_*) We're going FISHING!!

This dream started to become a reality last September when a dear friend "wasn't going to interfere." But thankfully she did, a couple times, which led to what will likely be the biggest decision Brad and I make for a long time. For my part, the third time I visited and decided to move here, I was certainly romanced by the idea of fishing. And Brad's been thinking about for a few years now since grad school made him realized he wasn't designed to work at a desk.

It took a lot to get here: to find a boat, buy a boat, arrange its transport from Anchorage (while both Brad and I were out of town!), to get insurance, lease a permit, buy nets, a truck, and a storage space, plus perform general maintenance to get the boat ready for fishing. Not to mention leaving the Science Center after seven years of affiliation. Below is a photo of Brad with Avery on the last day in his former office.

Also pictured is our 8' x 12' storage unit which, serendipitously, included a work bench, shelves and a nice picture of the King. That's gotta mean good things are coming. :)And lastly, our new truck "Cold Start," a sweet fishing truck, Ford F-250 extended cab with 4WD--a good work truck.Like I said, it was a long road getting here, but we're finally here! We launched her today, and she drove like a dream. There will be more pictures to come as Avery and I get our maiden voyage in the next couple days. More too on fishing, for those who don't know a lot about the salmon fishing industry; it's quite a career change for Brad. One thing we plan on is having more time to travel in the winter and not just around the holidays. Stay tuned for more and thanks for sharing our exciting news!!

Jetsetting Avery (and first words!)

2011-04-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

With Brad on his last research cruise for the Science Center, Avery and I headed south to on a mileage ticket to visit my sister and her family, my cousin Jill in Iowa and my parents. Below the pilot, enchanted by Avery, gave her a tour of the cockpit!
She loved running up and down the aisle on a long layover in Juneau. :) And the flight attendants loved her!
My cousin Jill had booked a trip to Cordova for a week after I booked my trip home and her departure happen to coincide with ours so I had the blessing of another pair of hands to help entertain Avery.
In Minnesota, Tristan, 7 and a half, was reading Dr. Seuss to Avery within minutes of our arrival!
Part of the impetus for my trip home was to get my first crown. Below Avery tried out the dentist's chair, though I'm told kids don't do the first dentist trip until age 3. Phew!
Cousin Dylan (turned 9 last week--Happy Birthday!), was showing Avery the gooey egg toy he got at a sleepover party. Fun, fun!
And cousin Evan (12) had Avery hysterical with laughter playing with his zipper tab! My cousin Jill's son, Zane (14) is in the background--they came up for a night while I was at my sister's!
Luckily Kris and Allan had extra non-working cell phones around. Avery's addicted to phones.
In other highlights in Minnesota, Avery started saying her first words!! I don't have video yet, but Kris's dog Sampo inspired her first word, an emphatic DOGGIE (with a soft G, sort of like Daa-hee). Soon to follow was the same sounding word exclaimed when shown a picture of Brad--Daa-hee!) Later on our trip she started saying Ball, Bear, and Pear all with a soft or silent ending consonant. She's also saying clear "yah" and "noo" in mostly accurate answers to questions. A very exciting development! She's still using her baby signs--she knows about 40 now--but the words are coming!

Avery on the farm!

2011-04-09T19:53:00.001-07:00

After learning what a sheep says from our Sandra Boynton books, Avery met her first real sheep at my cousin, Jill & Matt's farm, Shady Grove in Iowa. They were unexpectedly noisy the first time we visited them because it was before their breakfast, but after that, Avery enjoyed her daily visits.
She also met her first kitties in person! And learned a very cute version of meow that sounds more like minew, minew and makes me laugh every time! She was surprisingly comfortable with these three kitties purring and rubbing up against her all at once sometimes.
And she met her first chickens. Ready to go right up and pet them, I held her back at about five feet figuring the happy chickens didn't need Avery that close.
And we made daily visits to a park! When we couldn't get into town for Vet park, Jill has a little slide and swings (kiddie swings even!) right in her back yard!
We also visited, Rebecca's farm, a friend of Jill's who has a bull and cows (they were out in the field so we didn't get close enough for Avery to hear them) and a horse which proved a little scary. Below she's showing off her first ride on a four-wheeler (I sat and held her).
Rebecca also has a maple orchard, below you can see the sap overflowing and frozen!
We watched as Rebecca filled six 5-gallon buckets with the sweet sap!
After the visit at Rebecca's, we went back to Shady Grove. Below Jill and Avery are playing on Jill's StayBall exercise--what a loosy goosey she was! She loved that ball and Jill!
She also loved playing under Jill's downward dog pose. She would bear-walk, crawl and play under there!
Jill had a tiny chair for a stuffed bear that Avery loved to kick the bear out of and try to sit in herself, often falling but never giving up. :)
Jill and Mikayla...though we didn't see quite enough of Mik, she hung out with us whenever she wasn't working or at play practice. Avery loved her and it was great for me to see her thinking back to the chubby-cheeked 10 year-old girl she was when I first moved to Cordova. Now a beautiful young woman with such a bright future ahead of her!
While Jill and I visited in the kitchen one night, Zane came in to show us the trick he taught Avery...all he said was "Pound it" and she'd make a fist and bump his. She still does it, Zane--you made a lasting impression on her!
Before we left, Zane set up their trampoline in the back yard (Spring had certainly arrived!). I got this great shot of Jill, Zane and Avery in between tricks.
Besides tentative bouncing, falling and laughing, Avery's best trick was her staticky hair!
We had such a great week at Shady Grove! Hopefully next time we can bring Brad!! ;)

Grandma's & Poppa's in MN

2011-04-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

After a week on the farm, we caught a ride with my parents on the way home from their annual trip to Florida. Avery had fun at Grandma and Poppa's, below climbing up onto their fireplace bench which she carefully walked up and down.
A whole new pile of toys to play with (Grandma does well stock-piling fun things for Avery to play with from local garage sales and friends with older grandkids).
Below Grandma entertains Avery in the front yard while I took a shower.
My parents have season tickets to the women's basketball team at my Alma mater and Avery liked to play with the pop-poms they wave at the games. She had me singing my college rouser all week, "Minnesota, hats off to thee, to thy colors true we shall ever be..." Oh boy!
The highlight for me while in Minnesota was attending a concert (by myself no less!) by Tina & the B-Sides--a band I followed in college. They broke up in 2000, but have been playing some local gigs. Below they played at a small theater where the fans danced in the aisles. I was hoarse the next day from singing and screaming at the top of my lungs!
I even got a photo with the band. I totally dorked out, gushing like a groupie about how I flew from Alaska "just" to see them play. While I planned the trip home for several reasons, I stayed as long as I did just to see this band. I was buzzing with joy!
While I had mama's night out, Avery had a great time home with my folks. Here she is passing out hugs good night.
After another happy trip south, we headed back. Avery traveled great as always, here enjoying the Sea-Tac airport A Concourse playland all to herself!
While she did travel great, she was sleeepy from our 4:30 am wake up... I love this little jump seat in the airport bathroom--let's me pee in peace. :)
Once home, Brad was elated to rejoin both his girls! Below he got a taste of Avery's growing strength in what I call combat diaper changing. She's getting to be one squirmy girl! Can you say potty training?? :) It was a great trip, but we're all so glad to be home and back together!!
A quarter inch taller, first words spoken, and stronger, she's learning and growing wonderfully!

Alaganik boardwalking

2011-03-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

With Brad home and killer weather (has only rained once since February 19!) we took ourselves out the road to Alaganik boardwalk. It was super sunny and notably the first time Avery ever left her sunglasses on!
The sun also let her play with her shadow, a friend she's just recently discovered.
She's also recently started smiling for pictures! She used to squint her eyes she smiled so big, but now she's learning a lovely camera smile, seen below.
Below Brad is holding her in the window of a bird viewing 'house' with the delta and mountains in the background. Such a beautiful day!
Avery, legs flying, loves being tossed around!
The days are getting longer here, sunset around 8 pm, with some wonderful northern lights recently (that I haven't had the good fortune of seeing yet, since I'm in town (street lights) lacking a proper north view). We also missed a good view of the super moon--by the time it rose over the mountains, it didn't look that big. Pesky mountains. ;) Happy Equinox! Hope you're having a good Spring and thanks for reading everyone!

Solo Mama

2011-03-20T22:28:00.001-07:00

Wrapping up his career at the Science Center, Brad went on his second to last research cruise this month and let me and Avery bond for 11 days. :) It went great with a couple days exception when daylight savings time threw our schedule--and us--out of whack! Here are some photo highlights.
Below she's walking in my shoes, my size 11's! She actually walked all the way to me in them!
This girl loves a box; this one, Brad had cut windows in to be a fort, but it got turned upside down and now she colors in (on the walls) it sometimes. :)
Posing in the lineup of all her animals--many of you may recognize gifts you've given her. She loves her animals! :)
Her favorite food, hands down, is penne pasta. Here she discovered she can whistle through it!
We met our friends Karen and Skyla (now 2 years old!) at the newly renovated playground at the newly renovated Mt. Eccles Elementary (my old job!) on a chilly afternoon. Notice her fingertips are a little red! (Photo credit: Karen Hallquist *_*)
Another photo ala Karen featuring our friend Alyssa's 4 year old daughter Maggie, Skyla and our Avery at the library one morning. Such sweet girls!!
Brad got home a day early and we were both so happy to see him! We love and appreciate him every day, but even more when he returns from a trip! Happy family, happy home. :)

McKinley Lake Cabin over night (amended)

2011-02-21T22:37:00.000-08:00

With President's Day off, Brad and I decided to take Avery out the road for an over-nighter at a local USFS cabin. It was her third cabin, but her first when she can walk. Below, she is ready for action--backpack packed and sled ready!
Since I wore Avery on my back there was no room for my backpack, so...Brad wore his backpack packed to the absolute top, for the first time ever, he said. It probably weighed more than 50 pounds so we didn't weigh it. Lucky the trail was relatively flat.
Avery has started squinting her smiles...as we start off on the trail. Another lucky strike was that someone staying at the roadside cabin had hiked the 2.4 miles into the cabin and had broken trail very nicely for us.
It was a beautiful winter wonderland! There was probably six to ten inches of snow along the trail and covering the hemlocks.
Avery's first discovery--and that which would be her favorite game in several variations, as well as her downfall--was to run (walk fast) the length of the L-shaped lower bunk. (Note: thanks to Jamie Lilly for the rockin', awesome, adorable, warm, brightly-striped, fleece turtle neck; she wore it all weekend!)
She was just singing and singing with glee for like half an hour...until later when she demonstrated her first front flip, diving off the above mentioned bunk. She landed on her head with her chin tucked just enough to land flat on her back. There were plenty of tears and a bunch of nursing, but surprisingly no blood and no bump even. Though I think she may have chipped a sliver of her left front tooth to match the right front tooth she chipped a sliver off of the first day she learned to crawl...
Just a cute shot of Avery and Brad. No one said "friend" but her hands happen to be in the position she makes for the baby sign for the word. Maybe she's saying "friend" to Brad. ;)
Below Avery gets a headlamp bedtime story. :)
And the next morning, eggs, sausage,bagels and coffee by my favorite chef with my favorite little cabiner.
After breakfast Brad went out to hunt for firewood to chop and replace what we used.
Meanwhile, Avery got to play in the snow. The sun was out so we had to be careful not to stand under a tree that started to unload its snow--the powder blast from a few of these on the trail traveled several feet away from where the snow landed!
It was really a beautiful weekend, clear and cold. Alas, no Northern Lights though. And Brad checked at 1 am when he stoked the fire. My first year in Alaska I saw Northern Lights the likes of which I will likely never see again. But I haven't seen ANY in a few years.
We hiked out as Avery was getting cranky--ready for a nap. However, she stayed awake most of the hour and a half hike out, laying her head on my back, and being sleeping-quiet, but keeping her eyes open watching the wonder pass her by. She fell asleep about 10 minutes before we got to the car...
Home again! Avery decided she wanted to try to carry Daddy's backpack next time. While she is strong (like garlic!) we thought she was probably not tall enough. :)
Thanks for reading everyone!

February 2011 highlights

2011-02-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

February (not quite over) has been a fun month! I've enjoyed getting into my non-working routine and Avery has grown and gotten even cuter with abounding personality!
A couple weeks ago a friend of ours who lived here for a bit, Mark Halverson, returned to Cordova for a visit. He's from Minnesota, so right there you know he's a good guy! Avery really enjoyed his company, above he's serenading her with his banjo. Thanks again Mark for playing with Avery while Brad and I cooked! :)
Every morning, one of the things Avery likes to do is go out on the balcony. She'll give you her shoes, bring you your shoes and point to the door. Here it was 19 degrees out so we didn't stay long but she loves to point out the birds (and make the baby sign for bird) and trucks!
Above I was in the kitchen getting my coffee and our breakfast ready when I realized Avery had been quiet just a little too long. I came in to find the tissue shredded. "Oh well," I said to myself and went back to finish breakfast while she shredded away. :)
Brad reading to Avery after work. She's getting more and more cuddly with both of us, more hugs, kisses and we love it! :)
After work, Brad has also been taking Avery for a walk, a real walk with her walking--she seems like such a big girl crossing the road! They walk around town, go to the park and I get an hour to e-mail, vacuum or relax... :)
The best destination recently on their walks is the newly renovated Mt. Eccles Elementary School playground! Of course, Brad is showing Avery the ins and outs of the climbing wall. Start 'em young! :)
And today we had Avery's best buddy Skyla over to play. I tried to get them both looking at the camera, but they're both SOOO busy! :) Lots of fun, so much love!

Valetine's card with animal sounds

2011-02-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day this year, Avery made Brad a card. Below is her drawing with a few animal sounds thrown in for cute measure. :)

Guess who we're having for dinner...

2011-02-10T19:16:00.001-08:00

Some of you may have enjoyed Brad's Crab Meat Avery, but it's nothing compared to his Black Tail Avery! ;)

Iceworm Festival 2011

2011-02-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Another Iceworm Festival has come and gone, we started with a pre-parade party and finished off with fireworks from the balcony! What a view from our humble abode!
Below Brad put the finishing touches on his "Iceworm" king cake--no, we didn't have a baby iceworm to put inside. Maybe next year!
What a nice party! A home full of friends--big and small--is a happy home to be sure!
Avery was excited as the parade started, but...
When the baby Iceworm paraded down the street, she got scared. I think it was all our yelling and cheering... :)
She mellowed out for the Iceworm, as its 60 pairs of little feet (Avery's one day!) slithered down main street.
The whole affair wore her out!
The fireworks in the evening were also a little much for her. We started watching them on the balcony, but they were LOUD! She wanted inside ASAP. Then she wanted outside, then in. Then she wanted to go out on the street, or so we thought. Below Brad is walking her up and down the street to try to soothe her. Eventually, she and I ended up snuggled in her room away from the noise.
A good time was had by most...and hopefully next year, Avery won't get scared by all the commotion. :)

Whistling baby...

2011-01-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

Despite our best training attempts, Avery didn't quite learn how to blow out her first birthday candle. But the other night while changing her diaper, and blowing on her face, she learned to blow a breeze at us! Next we blew a whistle and asked if she could whistle. Below, see her "whistle." :)

Adventures on ice!

2011-01-27T22:06:00.001-08:00

After our big holiday travels, we had a good spell of cold weather to make the lake ready for ice skating. So we dressed Avery up, very well...to take her out on the ice!

Brad tested out the ice, while we sat in the warm car...
Sure the ice was thick enough, we hauled Avery's baby jogger out of the car, I passed it down the hill to Brad who assembled it while I carried out little Michelin man/baby down to the lake shore.
While Brad and I skated around for a total of about 10 minutes, Avery cried almost the whole time! Maybe it was nap time, maybe she was too warmly dressed, maybe she wanted to get out on the ice. Whatever it was, we called it "proof of concept" that we could get our family of three out on the ice. Incidentally, Avery threw up for the first time ever that night...three times actually. In retrospect, we think she may have been feeling ill and we didn't know it.
The next day, not throwing up anymore, we took a different approach and went to Skater's Cabin with an easier approach to the ice and let Avery walk around. She did great, a little "Bambi on ice" but very cute and happy about it. See the video below...

Since we were at Skater's Cabin right by Crater Lake Trail, we decided to hike a little. It was Avery's first time walking on a trail.The trail was a river of ice not too far up so Brad attempted to butt slide down with Avery. :)

We didn't get too far on the trail, but between that and Avery walking around on the ice without tears, it was a much better day outside than the first attempt at 'ice skating' with Avery. :)

Daddy Daycare in Vegas!

2011-01-19T20:16:00.001-08:00

For my 11th year (and Brad's 4th!) we headed to Las Vegas, after visiting our families, for the 2011 International CES (the worlds largest consumer technology tradeshow with 140,000 attendees!) Brad had a fantastic time being Avery's primary caregiver all day while I worked. Below, I got out with the two of them for one evening on the strip.
Brad and Avery's day began with a jog along the strip in the early morning before it was crowded. He rented a sweet baby jogger from a local baby gear company that delivered it to our hotel!
Every jog was followed by a bath--shiny, happy baby!
If there's one thing Avery loved about Vegas, it was the stairs. If there were stairs, she climbed them!
Avery made tons of friends on the strip. Brad says she was the most popular baby out there. Here someone offered to snap this photo of the adorable baby-daddy combo near Caesar's Palace.
If there's one thing Avery didn't like in Vegas it was the Bellagio fountains, seen below as she adamantly point in the direction she wants to go--away from the noise!!
Explore, explore, explore--just as a 15 and a half-month old, new walker should.
And walking too, all over Vegas, larger than life! Notice the person on the cell phone behind her smiling as she plods by--she really did make friends everywhere. :)
Now there's a happy little girl!
I can almost hear the scream of glee as she approaches a run down this slight incline.
Below seen giving some poor passerby her famous stare down!
Now we're talking! Brad found this indoor kids amusement park at Circus, Circus. Avery was in kid-heaven!
She especially enjoyed the game where you throw the ball into rings with different points for smaller rings. I just love that excited, happy face! :)
Below posing with this little French girl, she looks like such a big girl herself!
After my usual 10-hour day, I'd come 'home' to the hotel where Brad had room service waiting. I'd nurse Avery, eat and play until bed. :)
Here we are on the one afternoon/evening I got out, snuggling mama, the Bellagio fountains were almost tolerable. Still, we didn't stay long. :)
Back in the hotel, below Avery is indulging herself, smelling the nightly room service flower. Mmm, smells so nice!
At the end of our three-week adventure from MN cold, to AL thunderstorms enjoying family through and through, then working/playing in Vegas, we were all so happy to be back home in Cordova!

Sunny New Year's in Alabama

2011-01-19T19:30:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe it's not sunny in this photo, but it was certainly warmer in Alabama for the week we spent with Brad's family between Christmas and New Years than our White Christmas with my family. We even had a sudden thunderstorm that sent us running to the car from the park! Avery enjoyed seeing even more cousins! Below Brad's dad, Mike grabbed a nice family shot at Cedar Point pier on Mobile Bay in Daphne.
Below Avery played with cousins Lilian (11) and Rachel (almost 11) at the park. They loved spending more time with their little cousin whom they see too seldom.
Brad and Mike assisted her in her first curvy slide. :)
She also really enjoyed Mike & Cheryl's dog, Sophie. In fact, she enjoyed her so much, she often climbed into her bed with her (seen below), though I'm not sure Sophie enjoyed that as much--she was very tolerant. :) I'm told all the kiddos have done this. Sweet Sophie. :)
Having just taken her first steps in the middle of November, Avery was very eager to walk everywhere. Below, we were walking to the pier at Cedar Point. It's one of the first times she reached up to hold my hand too, a sweet moment for a mama.
She really wanted to go IN the bay. I think she thought of it as a big bath and she loves her bath so why not jump in the bay?
Happy once she nursed for a minute, she was delighted to spend some time with us on the pier.
And lastly, we made a point to go and see Nana, Brad's grandmother on his dad's side. I call her my bonus Grandma since all my grandparents are gone. Avery was a little shy, but entertained us all during our visit.

White Christmas in Minnesota

2011-01-19T19:04:00.000-08:00

Time to catch up on blogging about our holiday travels! Brad, Avery and I left Cordova in the middle of December on a chilly 10 degree afternoon (we usually have warmer temps living on the water). When we landed in Minnesota it was about the same temp! We enjoyed lots of snow and visiting with my family highlighted below at my cousin Meredith's house.
Avery got to meet tons of cousins and demonstrated her new skill: hugging, learned I think from her Cordova buddy Skyla. Below she's hugging Meredith's son Samuel who is just four months older than Avery.
And here she's burying Meredith's daughter, Audrey (3) with a big hug! So cute!
Staying at my sister's below, Brad pulls Avery and our nephew Tristan (7) in the sled while I am inside working away for CEA (the trade association that hosts CES in Vegas in January).
And this is my favorite Christmas picture of Avery. It's her first fancy dress and the first time she's worn a clip in her hair. She won't leave the clip alone--likes to pull it out (with a couple hairs) and then motion for me to put it in her hair again--but somehow forgot about it long enough for me to snap one photo. She peaking (on likewise dressed up tip-toes--her first Patton leather shoes!) over a chair that we had to park at the bottom of my sister's stairs as this is her newest favorite pastime: climbing stairs!
Below she's snugged up next to her buddy, our nephew Dylan (8), fascinated by the fire ("Presents? What presents? I like the fire...").
And Christmas morning found Tristan helping her open her presents from Santa. "Santa? Who's Santa?"
Besides the stairs, Avery also loved climbing into Sampo's kennel. What a fun Christmas, cousins, snow, dress up, Santa and a dog kennel! :)

So grown up!

2010-12-05T21:34:00.001-08:00

It seems that Avery's baby qualities are slipping away, less chub in the cheeks, her increasing mobility (see video in next post!). Here's a few funny shots of our little toddler!
In her big-girl tutu complete with fairy wings! Made me think of Mikayla Torpy immediately!
And these safety glasses of Brad's, so Harry Potter!
"Oops, you caught me trying to sneak a beer!" The fridge is her new favorite spot to climb into.
Here she's so proud (clapping) because she's succeeding at getting (bloody-looking) carrots into her own mouth with her own spoon! So messy...but very exciting! ;)
"Uh, just a second, Skyla, my mom wants something. What, Mom? Can't you see I'm on the phone?"
How do you like my new scarf? Am I ready for New York City?
And she can even write her name! (Thanks for the photo, Karen!)
But she still rides on Mama's back for our hikes. Here we were on Heney Ridge trail, hiking past the big tree for the first time in ages, all the way to the long meadow with the long stairs (seen behind Brad's head). It was a beautiful, frosty day and felt so good to get out as a family. With all our separate travels in November, we didn't get much outdoor time together. :)

Thanks for reading and hope you're enjoying your winter (or fall, depending on your latitude). :)

Santa and Christmas tree lighting

2010-12-05T21:14:00.000-08:00

On Friday Avery got to see Santa and watch as he pointed at the Cordova Christmas tree... With the a point of his wand, the tree was lit! Then he drove by on the fabulously decorated fire truck with elves running along handing out candy!
There was a blizzard blowing wet snow 30-50 mph while we watched...and it took a toll on the tree. Sadly, the next day the tree was a bit tipsy...but it still looks pretty with all the street lamps decorated for the holidays.
Meanwhile, Avery's inside with her new bomber baby sled ready for the Ski Hill!! Winter in Cordova! :)

Avery's walking!! :)

2010-12-05T20:58:00.000-08:00

It happened Saturday, November 13 at almost 14 months of age, just a couple hours after Avery and I got home from Minnesota. She took her first steps!! Unfortunately she had an audience of one because Brad didn't get home until the next day, but she walked for him then too. She has been taking steadily more steps each day until yesterday when I could finally get the camera and record her walking!

Avery's first sledding :)

2010-11-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

Cordova got some snow while we were in Minnesota so we took advantage of Brad's research cruise comp time and took her sledding on the bunny hill at our ski hill!
We got her all bundled up like the Michelin man and she was all excited!
Brad took the first run...
...and then I took her down. She didn't say much about it, but we think she had fun.She definitely enjoyed being towed up the hill on her back! It was in the twenties out so we didn't stay out too log, but it was a fun start to years ahead of winter activities with Avery!

Minnesota cousins!

2010-11-23T19:29:00.003-08:00

While Brad had another research cruise in November, Avery and I went back to Minnesota again to see my family.
It was a cousin party! Evan (12), Dylan (8) and Tristan (almost 7). Avery enjoyed her Minnesota cousins very much...
Dylan has a special place in her heart. :)
And Evan let her play his guitar; Brad lets her strum so she already knew how to do that.
And Green Family Game Night! We all had a great time! Avery traveled great, sleeping on the red eye flight less than I expected, but she wasn't fussy, just awake. :) Entertaining her gave me something to do from 1 to 6 am (minus two hours for time zone change)!

Halloween with Skyla!

2010-11-10T19:16:00.001-08:00

For Halloween this year, Brad, Avery and I went to our friends Karen and Josh's house where their daughter Skyla was dressed as an adorable bumble bee with our little lady bug!
Avery picked my favorite candy! Sadly she only got to taste it with the wrapper on. :)
The girls were too little for trick-or-treating but had a great time running (and crawling) to the door to see the big kids who came out for candy. In the meantime, it was playtime for our two little bugs. :)

October highlights

2010-11-10T18:57:00.001-08:00

With Avery a solid crawler and avid cruiser now, my free time is spent more and more chasing her around the house, so it feels like a while since I posted a blog. Here are some highlights from October. For starters, I had to put Avery in a box to free up my hands! :)
CLIF bar boxes are also fun, this one is a hat. :)
Of course from crawling comes cruising and in that position Avery is tall enough, and observant enough, to see that round thing on the doors that Brad and I use to open doors...though she's not quite strong enough to turn the handle.
I feel like our life has entered the phase of blurry pictures, stale Cheerios in the couch cushions and books and baby clothes on the floor. Below, I caught Avery in the act of her favorite game...take her clothes off the shelves.
So I decided we should have some fun with it and wear her little 'spanks' on our heads! :) Clearly she thinks I went a little overboard.
Cooking with Daddy...
Avery has been showing more and more personality in the last couple months. She loves to make this face, squint her eyes shut and shake her head back and forth whenever we give her a cool new toy (like the tooth paste tube) or when she just feels like being a ham. :)
Working part-time at home for CEA continues to go well. Here Avery is helping me re-master the one-hand typing that I was getting so good at when she was a newborn and I had the same job.
And sometimes she goes to work with Brad. Below she's bundled up to work in the warehouse with him prepping gear for a herring cruise--that's where he is as I type, on the Sound fishing for herring predators!
Avery's biggest development in October was that she learned how to stand without holding on! She was so proud of herself! She'll hang on to my knees below and then just rise and stand! :)
Thanks for reading! I posted a bunch of photos because, while Brad is on the Sound for work, Avery and I flew home to Minnesota and my parents Internet is like lightening compared to Cordova--10 photos post in a couple minutes vs. the 60 minute wait time at home. Couple more posts to come... :)

Videos: First wheels and baby signs

2010-10-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted any videos of Avery so here are a couple cute ones.

The first one is a sample of her baby signs! Brad has been going over them with her in the morning when she's more mellow and content to look at books (her earlier eager appetite for books has waned some as she's gotten more mobile--go, go, go!) She has three signs down solid: dog (make a panting sound), ball (make a throwing motion) and baby (fold your arms and rock the baby) and here she demonstrates them perfectly on cue! :)

This video is of her first wheels--the great gift from Gran and Grandad in Alabama. I don't know who has more fun, Brad pushing her, Avery being pushed, or me watching! Notice her eyes as he drives her around the corner toward the favorite stackable cups!

Great visit from Grandma and Papa

2010-10-08T06:59:00.000-07:00

While Avery's birthday was certainly the highlight of my parents' recent two week visit, we managed to throw in a fun trip out the road, with all five of us posing for a family shot at the Alaganik boardwalk.
We had planned to drive to Childs Glacier, but strong winds steadily blowing 40 mph had blown sand dunes on the Glacier side of the 27-mile bridge in the photo below and we didn't want to risk coming back in a few hours, the same spot 2 feet deep in loose sand.The wind even kept Brad from tipping over as he leaned into it at on the bridge!On our way back to visit Alaganik, we met this reluctant coyote. He was on the road right in front of us and when we stopped, even just 10 yards away, he didn't run off, but rather paced back and forth in front of the car. We figured there must have been an animal in the brush and he couldn't decide which was worse, us or the Great Bear.Below, we made it to Alaganik for a stroll on the newly rebuilt boardwalk, Avery happily modeling her birthday Copper River Fleece jacket! :)
Another cool thing we did when my parents were here was witness the releasing of two rehabilitated seals from the Seward Sealife Center. After so much nice weather, it was bound to rain, and that's what it did on that day. It was raining hard with a strong cold wind blowing--you can actually see the rain coming down at an angle next to my head. And our hot-headed little Avery refused to leave her hood on--thus her head is soaking wet! If you look close you can see one of the seals on the beach heading for the water! We were there for 20 minutes and all chilled to the bone (except Avery aka "The Furnace", but it was worth it to see the sight! :)
Avery was pleasantly snuggly with my folks, leaning in below for a little head-to-head with my mom. It was great to have them here with my working for CEA part-time at home. There were a couple of unexpected rushes of work so I was grateful to have my parents playing with Avery in the next room. She would crawl in to see me for a snuggle and go back to the grandparent entertainment.
My dad had his share of snuggles too. :) With a great stretch of unseasonably dry, sunny weather (a full three weeks of September!) my folks took Avery for many a' stroller rides in her Chariot, where sometimes she would nap...and sometimes she would just enjoy the scenery. :) With Brad going on another extended research cruise for 11 days in November, Avery and I are going to take another trip to Minnesota. I think this visit in Cordova will help Avery 'know' my parents when we meet again less than a month from now! :)
We haven't had Avery's one-year well baby check yet, but as far as we can tell, she is happy, healthy and growing like weed! Her personality comes out more all the time and she gets cuter every day, if that's possible. She crawls everywhere (since August 1) and pulls herself to standing on tables, chairs and her pack 'n play and 'cruises' around improving her balance for those monumentous first steps one day. When will that be, any bets?? I'm half-hoping that she won't walk until after my November trip home...I've heard it's hard to fly (especially solo) with a baby who wants to walk... :)

Thanks again for reading! :)

Avery's first birthday!

2010-09-21T22:19:00.001-07:00

After excitedly anticipating and counting so many months and milestones, Avery hit the big one--her first birthday! Below she is the reluctant birthday star. Like her winter hats, she was quick to discard her party hat. This is the only photo I got of her in a hat and I had to hold it on.
But she quickly warmed up to the small crowd of friends. We tried to keep simple, only people Avery really knew well. We invited six of our friends with their families/partners which included four kiddos ages three to eight and once they arrived, Avery was very attuned to what the 'big kids' were doing. They were also instrumental in helping her open gifts...seen below sitting inches away from Avery.
Below she's admiring her very special first Copper River Fleece given from dear friends Beth, Shea, Alex, Kate, Andy, Matt, Jill, Mik and Zane! :) Still enjoying the Copper River Fleece, she looks over as Alena presents the next gift from our friends in New Jersey--a sweet, soft, cuddly kitty! She loved the box almost as much!
She loved the wooden train pull toy--a tried and tested toy from our friends Alena (8) and Leo (6).
And the stackable cups were a hit...especially when they fall to the ground.
Possibly her favorite present though, in classic kid style, was...not the box a toy came in, but a balloon. We all sat waiting for her to pop it as she practically laid on it with her face (hands in a push-up position). It's survived a few days...we'll see how much she likes it if it pops!
And she had her first sugar!! Ahh, chocolate cake! Brad fed it to her and she didn't hesitate to suck on the edge several times. She pushed it away after a few minutes, but not before she got good and messy. :)
On her actual birthday, she opened the gift from Brad's parents while they watched live online via Skype! She got her first wheels, a go-go push car like Brad had as a kid. So far she loves sucking on the handle bars and pushing the buttons to make lots of noise, to which she responds by vigorously shaking her head side to side. She's just adorable!
Thanks to everyone who sent birthday gifts and wishes for our special little girl! It's been a wonderful year and we're so happy to share it with all of you!!

Peak bagging!

2010-09-12T15:54:00.001-07:00

With great fall weather lately, Brad and I have taken Avery up to a couple special views around Cordova. Below we are at the top of Sheridan Mountain trail overlooking beautiful Sheridan Glacier at 2,280 feet!
A great place for blueberries and mango snack!
And who could ask for a better backdrop for a diaper change! :) You can see the Copper River Delta flats at the horizon on the left.
Afterward, Brad and Avery celebrated with a beer! ;)
Last weekend, we took Avery up past the ski hill to Mt. Eyak peak. After wearing her on the 3-day backpacking trip, it was such a treat to have Brad wear her! She started out great...
But even our little hiker gets grumpy at times. It was a hot day out (72 degrees!) and both she and Brad are furnaces, so that coupled with baby boredom on the 5 hour round trip hike found Avery complaining a little here.
She eventually fell asleep as we neared the peak and even slept through Brad using these ropes to aide in his ascent!
What a beautiful view she almost slept through, 2,506 feet above Cordova!
Avery woke up in time to see the hike down from the summit and enjoy a snack with Mama.
Here she demonstrates her gyroscope game making walking difficult for me--good thing Brad was wearing her on the hike down.

The view from my office

2010-09-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

With September upon us, I have shifted to my awesome at-home job for CEA on the East Coast, which fits in wonderfully with being an at-home mom! Here's the view from my office. :)
In addition to transitioning Avery from napping with me in the morning to napping in her crib so I can work, I also have the great benefit of our friend Karen who's agreed to watch Avery with her 19-month old daughter (aka Avery's best friend!), Skyla.
I brought Avery over for an hour twice last week to test it out...and a great time was had by all!
Just seven months apart, these girls will be chasing each other around by next summer. But for now are bonding on a blanket.
Alaskan for Alabama ala Grandad! :)
Big-girl Skyla is already showing Avery a few tricks, like how to ride her push car in Karen's homemade playground yard!

Brad's birthday on the Orca Challenger

2010-09-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

For Brad's birthday, we borrowed the Orca Challenger again from Cordova Coastal Outfitters and set out in search of halibut, Avery at the helm!
In between helping Brad steer, she practiced sucking on her sippy cup, occasionally lifting it high enough to get water out. :)
If Brad's birthday wish was to catch fish, it got his wish! Besides the two silver salmon from the day before, he caught a huge (but not worth eating) sculpin, and the goal fish: a nice halibut was bending his rod below. He's also sporting his fine new Copper River Fleece hoodie from Avery and me. Turned out to be a lucky shirt, the halibut jumped on his line after he put it on. :)
Avery cheered him on from the cabin, happily pulling herself to standing now in her pack 'n play.
And here he is, on his 37th birthday with a 37" halibut! This fine fish produced about 20 pounds of fresh, wild meat for our family! Thanks and happy birthday to our great provider! :)

Childs Glacier and first salmon!

2010-09-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

For Brad's birthday weekend last week, we started celebrating on Sunday with Avery's first trip to Child's Glacier! She enjoyed her first beer--Alaskan Amber--as well! (Just kidding...)
We followed this first with her first taste of Salmon and were both elated that she enjoyed it! Here's she's eating Copper River sockeye salmon caught by our friend Andy Craig. The next day we tried to feed her some silver salmon and she wasn't nearly as interested. Ahh, a salmon snob already. ;)
Completing our day at the glacier, where we saw plenty of noisy calving, we toured the Million Dollar Bridge.
It was a beautiful day for the Glacier and Avery had a great time!
We followed Avery's first glacier trip and salmon with her first witnessing of Brad catching a salmon at Ibeck Creek! This shot reminds me of Babe Ruth in the 1932 World Series where he reportedly pointed to center field and then hit a home run there. Here Brad was looking at ripples in the water indicating a salmon swimming up stream and...CAST...
as Avery and I cheer him on, he threw his line in! But alas, he didn't catch that fish.
He did land this one though...and another one to boot!
Avery looked on in amazement as he tied the fish to a stick in the bank to bleed out.
A great day was had by all!

Baby backpacking

2010-08-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

Not wanting to mess with tradition, last weekend Brad and I made our sixth annual trip to the shelter on the ridge between Crater Lake and Power Creek Valley on the Alice Smith Intertie...this year with Avery. :) See the family portrait below as the fog rolls in over the peaks ahead of us. This photo was taken at the highest point of our hike, about 2,220 feet.
The first couple hours of the hike were this beautiful rain forest, tall trees and unusually blue skies.
Below Avery, looking here very much a Reynolds baby, enjoys our first break after hour one of our seven hour hike on Saturday. She did great, sleeping right off the bat for almost an hour.
The fog was like an old friend--we've seen thick fog on this trip more times than not. Here Brad is hefting a heavy pack that came about to my hip and weighed 50 pounds!
Here's we're looking back towards Eyak peak with the fog over Crater Lake. You can also see our friend Andy and his dad Alan in the foreground--they were hiking the reverse of the loop we did in three days...in one day! :)
Here's Avery sleeping like a baby at 2,200 feet. :) My backpack only weighed about 15 pounds, but Avery made my total load 40 pounds, 25 pounds of which was prone to wiggling when not sleeping or protesting a few times when tired of being strapped to Mommy! :)
Ahh, the shelter at last--after 5.9 uphill miles, what a welcome sight that was, with fogged-in Orca Inlet as a backdrop! I was a veritable bug magnet for the last half of the trip. With hands occupied by holding Avery's head and my hiking pole, brushing pests off my arms wasn't always possible. Avery and I stayed in the shelter while a nearly bug-free Brad filtered water for drinking and dinner.
Up way past her bedtime while we finished dinner, Avery entertained herself by popping her teeth on the strap of my Crocs. This has become one of her favorite teething toys.
The next morning, bright eyed and bushy-tailed as my dad use to say, Avery is sporting one of the 20+ bug bites she got on the trip! I know I was being swarmed by bugs, but I didn't see hardly any land on her, which of course I brushed off whenever I saw. She's still scabbing from all the bites!!
The next day, the fog had cleared and a nice breeze picked up to blow those bugs away! We three enjoyed a leisurely morning on the tarp in the sun!
Brad and Avery relaxing above the alpine!
All rested and ready for a new day, we headed out Sunday afternoon to continue 2.2 miles along the ridge and descend 1.8 miles to Power Creek valley, and another 1.9 miles heading for the cabin for another 5.9 mile day. Avery is all smiles!
Here she's laughing trying to feed Brad any plants she could pull up with her strong little hands!
In Power Creek cabin after 6 hours of hiking, half of which was downhill and a narrow switchback --where Avery had her only real meltdown while I was trying to find my footing around her strong-willed head swinging out in front of me...we were both a little stressed. Here Brad and Avery enjoy the candle light of our dinner.
In the loft of Power Creek cabin I caught this sweet silhouette of Brad and Avery. :)
And here's our girl, ready for the third day of hiking, a rainy one, but not bad. She's sporting her newly handed down rain jacket and loaner rain pants from friend, Skyla--thanks Skyla! :)
And we made it! A little wet but very happy with our adventure and our accomplishment--backpacking with a baby! We hiked 16 miles with our little sweetheart and she did awesome! I hope we can do it again with her next year!?
In other news, now that Avery has mastered crawling (and we are learning that we can't turn our backs for a second---ahh, I knew this day would come! *_*) she is also pulling herself to standing! She did it for the first time Tuesday in her pack 'n play at the kayak shop and now does it on the coffee table, our laps, totes, anything. She thrills and delights us every day with her smile, laugh and her ATB (all-terrain-baby) exploring! Thanks for reading!! :)

Road trip!

2010-08-09T23:34:00.001-07:00

It's been 5 years since Brad and I had a real vacation (Thailand 2005) so we thought it was about time for our first family vacation and decided to make it a road trip in the great state of Alaska! We thought we had a great road-tripper when Avery fell asleep in Valdez minutes after being buckled into her car seat without one peep of a cry...
Then we realized that was a total fluke...she cried before car-napping more than not. One day we drove slow on the 15 miles to our destination hoping she'd nap on the way there. Avery had something else in mind. She cried for 47 minutes only to fall asleep just before we arrived. So we turned around and drove slower for half an hour, then turned around again and arrived an hour and a half later than planned at our destination. All's well that ends well. :)
We didn't see a lot of wild life, but this moose was enough for us to turn the car around and get a better look. This cow had her head under the water for about a minute, longer than we knew moose could hold their breath. She looked like a big brown rock!
This is the guest cabin of a friend of a friend from Cordova. It was a former line shack for the rail road workers in the early 1900's. It is now located across the road from Long Lake near McCarthy, Alaska. It was so quaint, on a beautiful piece of property and incredibly peaceful.
Avery had a great time hamming it up for the camera playing with her dishpan full of toys!
Hoping she'll enjoy more vacations and adventures outdoors, we began teaching her the basics. Here Brad shows Avery how to get a fire going in the wood stove in the cabin.
Below, Brad teaches Avery how to whittle a stick to roast sausage over an open fire for dinner.
And here, she's helping me prime the pump to get water for dishes, bathing and drinking. She's such a good helper!
Avery was also a great helper harvesting these giant rhubarb stalks we were able to use on the property.
I made a strawberry-rhubarb crisp from memory...actually three. The first one wasn't quite crisp as my memory of the recipe wasn't quite right. By the third time, I had it down.
So the first destination of our road trip was McCarthy, 15 miles from the cabin where we were staying. McCarthy is the other end of what was the Copper River & Northwestern Railway whose terminus is our home Cordova. It was great to see the other end of our "road."
This is McCarthy, a small town with maybe a few dozen year round residents and more in the summer. They have a great museum with the history of the railroad and the copper that came down the rail to Cordova.
One day we took the shuttle up the 5-mile bumpy road to Kennicott to see the old mines. Avery knew just what to do with the "oh-shit" handle in the van--smart girl.
These are the mines. While the terraced buildings were not open for tours, they were impressive to walk around and to imagine them being built in remote Alaska winters in 1908! Other buildings were open for a guided tour, but we opted for the self-guided tour and got there just as they were locking up. But we still enjoyed walking around seeing what we could! :)
On the way back to the car, Avery posed in the parking lot...what a cutie in her brown outfit (from Wes and Heather I think, or Jamie?--great taste! *_*)
I love this: the Long Lake Post Office. You just take the wire out of the latch, open the door and put your posted mail on the shelf and close the door, put up the flag. We didn't bring our computers so I could only send post cards to those folks whose addresses I knew by heart. :)
Thanks to our friends Kate and Andy whose canoe we borrowed, we got out on the water two times during our trip. Pictured below is our two hour paddle on Long Lake. Avery nursed and slept for the first hour and then enjoyed the ride back looking around.
She also enjoyed scooting around the cabin!! She worked so much on her crawling (which she had just barely done in the forward direction before we left on vacation) that we will always remember this cabin for where she really crawled. On a linoleum floor no less!
The cabin property also had a great tree swing (Cheryl, we thought of you!) that Avery loved! Brad shot about 80 pictures of us swinging because Avery was just laughing, in turn making us laugh. It was great!
The yard was filled with "flowers" so we had to plop Avery down for a shot. Does anyone know for sure...is this plant clover?
We spent six peaceful wonderful days at the cabin and on the last day every one got a bath. Avery was adorable--don't through the baby out with the bath water!
From the cabin, we shifted to Avery's first camping trip! We headed north (and switched Avery's convertible car seat to forward two months early which greatly improved her mood in the car!) to drive the Denali Highway! It was scenic and beautiful with great camping sites at both ends. Here you can see our new tent, the Kelty 4 River, which Brad affectionately calls "The Clark Griswold" is bigger than our car!
Avery slept great in the tent and loved hiding in the sleeping bag! She only cried to wake the dead once, but the campsites were far enough apart that we're pretty sure she didn't really wake anybody. :)
It was a fantastic vacation, beautiful scenery, relaxing canoe rides, sweet cabin on a wonderful piece of property and some great adventuring with our new little family! Avery mastered crawling, and also started to possibly wave...she holds her thumb down and shows four fingers, but not at hello/good-bye times, just whenever, at whom or whatever, like at trees, the wall, anything. It's a start! She's a happy, healthy girl, weighing in at 24 pounds at 10 months with now-8 teeth and smiling all the time to show them off!

Summer videos: Avery crawls!

2010-08-09T22:57:00.001-07:00

Just a few cute moments saved in live action:

First crawling documented on video! After our time at the cabin near McCarthy, we spent a couple nights in Anchorage to do some shopping. Here Avery is in our hotel back on carpeting, crawling on cue!

On the property with the cabin, we were hanging out in between Brad and I weeding the strawberry patch when Avery let me video her whispering...

After we got home, we took Avery to a playground near our apartment for her first swing! She loved it!

June Cuteness

2010-07-01T21:32:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite new face. She learned how to sniff (or else there was something in her nose!) and she did it in and out with this scrunched up face. If we make the same face and sound, she makes the face and sound back to us. It's hysterical! :)
Here she is enjoying bath time and getting better all the time with the water.
Smiling right after the water was poured over her head!
And her current method of locomotion--scooting backwards. But she gets into a full crawl position in her playpen and is working on staying up in that position. She'll be crawling before we know it! :)
This photo was from the other night when she woke up a bit early from her 7:30 bedtime at 9:30 pm and she was ready to party! Happy, smiling and bouncing in my lap for 5 minutes, until she suddenly started crying and trying to nurse--oh wait, I'm tired! She was cracking us up! And her favorite toy, the cook pan, she now talks into it when ever we put her face in it. Hilarious.
And her she is with our friend Skyla (17 months). Below, she joins Avery in the box! :)
Two girls in a box--cute, cute! :)

A-hikin' we will go!

2010-07-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

Avery got a lot of hiking in in June with both Brad and I. First she and Brad took advantage of my working a weekend to hike Crater Lake trail together, here to the bench, then on to the cut-off picnic table.
Here she is enjoying some table time with Dad on the cut-off picnic table, incidentally where Brad and I celebrated his birthday in 2004 when were were newly dating! :) And now look at us, a happy family of three!
Showing off her new teeth some more! She's gotten more and more smiley this month!
Next weekend, the three of us explored a new trail, Lake Elsner Trail. We didn't quite make it to Lake Elsner at the end, but this Lake Corser was pretty as was the rest of the trail.
Avery slept, as she usually does, despite some rooty, muddy, uneven stepping terrain. :)
On my day off, I decided to take Avery on a solo hike too. We started in town and walked up, up, uphill to the trailhead.
Nice reflection of the Lady and the Bear on Mt. Eccles. :)
We made it to Top Tower in 40 minutes (not bad) but Avery was asleep for the photo op.
Beautiful day...this is one of my favorite views in Cordova, maybe in the world.
And here she is, my hiking buddy, awake and smiling on a break on our way down at Midway. Hopefully our hiking with her when she's young will give Avery the same love of the outdoors that Brad and I share. :)

Over-nighter on the Orca Challenger

2010-06-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Brad, Avery and I took advantage of my summer job's sweetest benefit--to borrow the Orca Challenger for the cost of gas--and boated out for an over-night trip to nearby Sheep Bay. We celebrated Brad's first Father's Day and a belated Mother's Day (since Brad was on the water for my first last month).
Brad taught Avery to drive and then let her have the wheel. She took her responsibility very seriously.
When she got tired of driving, we let her sit in her hook-on chair (so great and portable: home, cabin or boat!)
Then I played peek-a-boo with her...
...hiding out under her chair and jumping out to surprise her!
We found this huge beautiful waterfall in Sheep Bay and wanted to explore nearer to it the next morning, but there were a kayaker and a canoer enjoying the peace and quiet. :)
Avery is full of new faces and vocalizations, including ama-ma-ma-ma and doe-doe-doe which she's saying in this picture in a new cute deep voice.
She cracks herself and us up!
This was our beautiful anchorage for the evening, flat calm with sprinkles giving way to cloudy skies that lightened up the next day to reveal a little blue sky!
We tried to put Avery to bed once we arrived to make dinner, but she wouldn't have it. (A note about her temporary bed--she cannot crawl yet, but can scoot backwards, thus I figured she would be safe in this little nook under one of the seats because she would scoot in away from the edge...except for all the crying.) This lasted about a minute. :)
So back on my back she went. And this made her happy.
She was tickled pink to join us for dinner--steak and cous cous. She didn't even mind that she couldn't have any. :)
And this is Brad and Avery at bedtime...11 pm. Oh and it was also Solstice weekend! The day before the longest day of the year.
Avery and Mommy slept great--OC on the OC (out cold on the Orca Challenger)--until 8 am.
The next day, we thought we'd let Avery sit in a tote while we fished--she loved her REI box in April. But this tote wasn't doing it for very long.
So I put her on my back and we fished together! We didn't catch the halibut we wanted, but we caught fish--four rock fish for the boat, one seen here with its stomach everted!
Inside the cabin hanging out, Avery's hat (made with love by Gran in May!) invariably goes over her eyes, but she never minds, she just sits there looking cute until someone pushes it back.
And here we are returning to our home port with the Lady and the Bear on Mt. Eccles after a great weekend on the water together.

Moms hike Ski Hill en masse!

2010-06-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

Mondays and Thursdays a friend here organizes a hike. It's mainly moms with small kids. On Monday we hiked the familiar Ski Hill on a new/partially done trail to the left of the regular trail.
Avery was a champ as usual, posing here with Mom under Mt. Eccles in the distance.
There were nine women, 12 kids ages 8 months to 8 years, and five dogs! We were a party!
The new "trail" was beautiful at the start, but quickly ended and we found ourselves bush-whacking up the face of the Ski Hill. Our goal: Midway, the building whose you can just barely make out to the right of the chair lift in the distance.
Getting closer!! I was so impressed with all the kids on this hike. There were kids age 4-8 going up this steep face, with snow too!
The weather couldn't be beat--we've had a really nice early summer. We all enjoyed the beautiful view of town from a slightly different angle.
Avery fell asleep during the last, steepest 10 minutes of the hike and slept on 10 more minutes amidst moms and kids visiting and enjoying a snack after our big hike en masse! :)

TEETH!!

2010-06-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

It was Wednesday and our friend Andy Morse, who had only just returned home the day before from months away, was over visiting when we spied a tiny white something in Avery's mouth...It was her first tooth!! (You can barely see it here, try double clicking on the photo to see the full size.) Unlike most babies, which I read get the bottom teeth first, Avery wanted to be original and got her top left tooth first. :)
But then not a week later...we saw number 2! So now she won't look like a snaggle tooth or a scary jack 'o lantern with one front tooth!
You can't see her teeth in this photo, but it was too cute not to post! It was her first summer dress as we were getting ready to go to a friend's wedding reception. It looks like she's feeling her teeth with her lip! And wouldn't you know it, two days after tooth #2, tooth #2, this time on the bottom right, just barely cracked the surface. Thankfully she's been very cheery for having cut three teeth in nine days! She nurses a little more than normal, but I can handle that compared to the screaming pain I hear some babies go through. Maybe the next teeth will hurt more, or maybe not! :)

In other news, Avery is not quite crawling (thank goodness!) but is scooting backwards and spinning on her belly and rolling both directions easily to get her wherever she wants to go on the living room floor. She sits solidly and only occasionally tips over and bonks the back of her head when Mom was looking the other way. She's babbling more all the time and sounds like a song bird sometimes with the little sounds she makes. She laughs and smiles with such personality it's hard to believe she's not even 9 months old yet! She just keeps getting more fun all the time! :)

Cordova Coastal Outfitters' new mascot!

2010-06-08T19:04:00.001-07:00

It seems like lately my life is full of "get to's" instead of "have to's" and this is one of them. After four summers working at Cordova Coastal Outfitters, Andy and Seawan, the friends I work for there, offered to let me bring Avery to work with me. So now, I get to wake up next to the cutest baby I've ever seen, I get to take a nap with her an hour after she wakes up, I get to bring her to work with me after lunch. After work I get to spend a couple hours playing with her before she goes to bed, then a few hours later I get to snuggle up with her for the night next to my wonderful husband. And on my days off I get to wear Avery around, do chores, run errands, and visit friends. What could be better?
Avery has fun at the shop, too. I wear her on my back now in the Ergo carrier our friend Becca handed down to us (thank you thank you!!)
And she loves the pack 'n play our other friend Karen let us use (thank you thank you!!)
Seawan's daughter Alena, 8, loves entertaining Avery and Avery loves it, too. She squealed with delight the other day when Alena walked in. :)
There's those cute teeth again!
And it all works because Avery can fall asleep in the carrier. While I'm washing camping dishes, talking on the phone making reservations, sweeping the shop, or doing paperwork, Avery has fallen asleep for at least half an hour every time (knock on wood) that I've had her at work with me. She make a great mascot! :)