****I am completing this post AFTER Adam's next two posts(it is April!). This seems to be the way it works these days since I can't seem to stay awake long enough at night to concentrate on sorting through photos and get easily distracted/interrupted by an active 2 year old if I do it during the day! So here I am backtracking, but hopefully not making this too confusing. These span from September to February. You may see a few repeat pictures from Adam's posts.
Alrighty, here are a few photos to sum up the end of a great 2017 and the beginning of 2018 with some photos from our Iowa trip in between!
Adam had another successful moose hunt with our buddy Kevin AND MY BROTHER, BRANDON and SISTER-IN-LAW, DEANNA! It was so exciting to have them up here for a hunt! There was already a post on this so here are a few photos from their time at the house.
Aunty playing playdoh with Ash, she taught him a fun new game to pick up all the little playdoh balls!
And the real work begins....a few days of cleaning and packaging moose meat in our garage!
We got a hike in though!
Night night hugs before their flight home. Come back soon! We love the one-on-one time with Aunty Deanna and Uncle Brandon!
Daddy picked an awesome family costume again. Goldilocks and the Three Bears!
Mama and Baby bear
Goldilocks wasn't too enthused but tolerated the costume and the kid like always!
Papa Bear and his baby!
So for dinner Halloween night we ate corn on the cob and...... bear sausage balls!
Second encounter with worms went better than the first, he didn't try to eat it this time!
Can't keep this kid out of the puddles! Obsessed with water like his mommy and daddy.
And then there was snow! My boys excited for snow and the winter season, because that means.......
FISHING! First fish through the ice! He's hooked(lol)!!
A surprise visit to "Grandma Sue" for her birthday. Our friends' mother and father stepped up as his AK Grandma and Grandpa!
Grown in Alaska, but still has plenty of Iowa in his blood!
Will try to upload a video of this ice and water at the end of this entry. The ice was a little over a foot thick and could still see down to the bottom of the lake with 8 feet of water! Added to my list of amazing AK experiences! We saw fish swimming beneath our feet!
Ash and Tundra, fishing buddies
Nice rainbow the boys caught and surprised me with. Sent this one back to the water
Another neat part of the clear ice and water was seeing the fishies go after our lures! Ash was saying, "Here fishy fishy!"
Already has the need for speed, I'm not sure if this makes me feel excited or worried!
Taking Ash out on the ice to look for fish! SO COOL and SO MUCH FUN!
Our home sweet home for the weekend. Who would've thought we'd be sleeping in a tent in the winter time!?!?! The arctic oven is quite cozy!
The boys and I followed the path of snow to the other side of the lake which had more snow and less ice. Packing a 30lb kid was a workout!
Going for a little joy ride!
Back to Iowa for Christmas!!!!!
4 generation picture with Grandma GG and Grandma Grandma!
Aunty Kati
Uncle Scott
Aunty Jessi
Unca (Uncle Grant)
Papa and GG!
It was c-c-c-oooooold when we were back in Iowa. -15degrees with windchill made it too cold even for us to play outside! We had a great time in their huge playroom downstairs with a new playhouse, ball pit, train table, and lots of toys and books. We also did our annual tradition of Bass Pro bowling! Adam and I got to visit with some college buddies as well.
Snuck outside for a quick ride on a horsey, can't be at Bapa and Nana's without a horseride!
We visited Bapa at his office and Ash was shown off to the other officers and staff!
Playing with Nana, lots of laughs!
Aunty Deanna
Uncle Brandon
Uncle Adam
Checking out other horses as well as goats, rabbits, and kitties at Uncle Brandon's and Aunty Deanna's. Also "drove" the tractor and go-kart with Kane!
Making sure his cousins' fort can withstand a toddler!
Visited Great Grandpa Kucera!
Too cold outside for a long ride on a horsey, thankful Great Aunty Janice, Great Uncle Jack, and cousin Braxton lent us their bouncy horse! So fun!
We got outside for a quick creek walk (also a tradition each time we visit, so we HAD to go even though it was a bit below zero! Some didn't last long!), visited Aunty Deanna and Uncle Brandon's farm (played outside a bit there too!), decorated cookies, laughed at each other using Adam's virtual reality goggles, had a graham cracker house competition, visited some Kucera cousins since we would miss the Kucera Christmas this year, and played played played!
More Iowa pics with cousins on facebook!
Back in AK. Sledding at Shawn and Erin's cabin
Girls' ski!
Ashton's hair BEFORE his first cut! Those curls!
Haircut in the red plane!!
So grown up!
Another cabin weekend at Byer's lake with the Keeners! Our fur babies!
One view of the lake, could also see Denali if a clear day!
The crew in front of our public use cabin
Ashton cheesing at Kevin and Britt from the loft
Naptime on the ice!
Wanted to joy ride on the snowmachine, but had to cover up!
His first fish on a tip up! Thanks Kevin for letting Ash pull this one in!
Burbot!!
Ashton turned TWO! His ice fishing birthday cake and cupcakes with "fish eggs"
Birthday sledding! Ashton had wiggled himself around so that he wouldn't get blasted with snow in the face like last time!
Birthday river walk
I think he liked the cake!
Uncle Shawn getting Ash some high-fives from the mushers at the ceremonial start of the 2018 Iditarod!
Aliy Zirkle!
TWO!
Riding in style while skiing over spring break
South Fork hike, one of our favorites!
Watching the back country skiiers across the valley and dreaming of the day they will get to go together!
paragliders galore off Baldy
Getting ready for summer hiking! Ready to be free of snow gear and bumpy, snow paths!
Ready for mountain sledding with goggles this time! (paragliders in the background)
Happy 2018! Hopefully I can keep our posts in order this next time! Thanks for sticking with us even though our blog posts have slowed down a bit (and become out of order! lol)
Also, some people may not know this but Jeanette and Kevin print our blog into a book for us as a keepsake! We have our memories saved in a couple different forms! :)
