Karl, Claire and I got to go to Idaho and meet up with grandparents, cousins, and nephews and nieces. We stayed for a week and had so much fun. August.
We couldn't stand to put the wheelers away and went for one last long ride before packing up and heading out of the mountains. Thanks to Robert and Shelley everyone got to go along on bikes.
J.R. and Karl enjoy some "cousin" time. Pete and Kirsten didn't get to go on the trip since they were alredy think into football. Homer High School football went to the semi finals for the 2nd year in a row. Go Mariners!
What a great looking bunch of Idaho camping cousins. We sure miss being with our family more often.
Kirsten, Abby and Alain enjoying some girl time!
Megan, Claire and I went to the Alaska State Fair together. We camped out in our truck and camper and had a fun COLD time at the fair. We had to buy some wool hats to keep us warm. We were sure glad we had a cozy camper to sleep in. September.
The fair was in Palmer, AK. We already had lost all our leaves, but Palmer still have pretty flowers.
Alaska girl taking a nap with a black bear. Kirsten found soft pillow. October.
Claire and I (Lenore) got to fly up to Fairbanks for a 3 day weekend to visit Karl at college. We took Ben and Karl out to Chena hot springs for a warm up soak!
Karl found a new hobby at UAF, Fairbanks. He enjoys lifting weights, rock climbing, playing pick up hockey, intra-mural broomball and ultmiate frisbee. He is currently in the honors Mechanical Engineering program.
We got to tour Karl's dorm room.
Claire had a few friends over for her 13th birthday. Pete ended up shooting a petsky black bear and the dressed up girls raced outside for a photo shoot. October 26. Classic Alaskan girls. The bear had been in the chicken coop (all survived), trash, dog food, and compost. Kirsten, Pete and I all had blackbear tags so all was well. We are not eating black bear spicy Italian Sausage!
A typical beautiful view from our front deck.
Kirsten and Mariah both made Alaska All-State Choir. They singing was spectacular! This is Kirsten's 3rd year to make All-State.
Pete and Lenore in Cooper Landing. November.
This year, Kirsten was the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Homer Nutcracker. She stayed on stage for the whole 2nd half of the show as Castle Queen. Her ballet dancing is amazing. She is glorious to watch. December.
She still gets to dance "Snow" as well. The girls are warming up before going on for the real thing. They will peform 8 full-house shows by the end of the week.
Kirsten shines and sparkles when she dances. Casey is also in Nutcracker and does a wonderful puppet act.
Claire. Loving Life. Loving the outdoors. Loving Family. Loving God. Loving School. Really. She can't wait for Mondays to come around.
Blessings at Christmas friends and family. We hope you can relax and enjoy the holidays and put your focus on Jesus who is the center of Christmas. We will be in Tempe, AZ over the holidays with my family, and Precott with Pete's family. If you happen to be around PHX give us a call! Hugs and Kisses to all! XOXOXO
