More Hatcher Pass Fun!

Another sledding day...just a couple weekends ago.

LOVE this...

Please take a couple minutes to watch this. We all need this reminder!

Quotable Quote

Bobcat had this to say about the story of the Titanic, having heard about it for the first time today:
"Before you make yourself an unsinkable ship, make yourself an unpride-able person."

Farewell to Another Faithful Friend

The excitement and joy of my trip and homecoming were overshadowed a bit. The day after I returned home we had to say good-bye to our sweet dog, Hobo Jake. We found Jake in 1999, weaving in and out of traffic on Lucille Avenue. Dog lovers (suckers) that we are, we stopped and called him into our car. He wore a red collar but had no other identification. We went door-to-door for several days in the general area, asking about him. We put his description into every local vet clinic and shelter and radio station. Nobody claimed him. We had recently picked up and kept two other pups, and so we didn't feel we should take on another (Umm...there's a thought...) We boarded him at the vet clinic I worked at, and took him for occasional skijoring outings (That dog could FLY, and was very patient with me, even when we ran into the barbed wire on one occasion...) In the end, we brought him home for good. He taught us about boundaries and respect. He sang us to sleep at night (Did you notice he looks a bit wolfy? I do not condone that in the least, but hey--you read how we ended up with him.) with a deep, throaty howl that caused the hair to go up on our necks from sheer, wild beauty. He was by far the happiest and most content dog we owned...asking for very little and rewarding us with giant grins, copious kisses and fantastic speed shows (Not to mention the freakishly high, awe-inspiring, vertical leaps at dinner time.) He was tearing around with his pals and jumping for his dinner right up to the day he died. One evening he simply laid down in his pen and refused to eat. We brought him inside, and made a bed for him. I feel so blessed to have had that time to lie next to him, talk with him, sing to him, stroke his fur, and cry. He kept hiding his face from me; finally, he turned to me and looking me straight in the eyes, licked me tenderly with his last bit of strength. I knew he was saying good-bye. And so it went...the very most unpleasant part of being a pet lover. I wrote a similar "good-bye" post about 6 months ago. We have only three dogs left--a more "normal" number...but wow is it ever quiet out there.

ALOHA

I just got home from one of the best times of my life--a week in the topics with two amazing women (I'm even blessed to be related to one of 'em.) We had a blast; my stomach still aches from laughing so much! I'm still amazed by how much we were able to pack in and enjoy in 7 days--beach combing, hiking, Pearl Harbor, snorkeling, shopping, great food, visiting new friends, and beaches, beaches, beaches. I was very at-home in that setting; it took me about one evening to adjust to the tropical climate...and nearly 3 days after returning home I am still trying to acclimate to my homeland (Brrr.) That being said, it was wonderful to return home to all my guys. I missed them and hope we can do a trip like this together sometime. (I am more than willing to return to Hawaii!)Here I am at Kailua getting ready for our snorkeling lesson with Betty B, Snorkeling Instructor.
Very dehydrated, sunburned (but happy) damsels in distress--crammed in the back with a surfboard, hitchin' a ride.

Hangin' around at Manoa Falls trailhead



Betty believes strongly in the power of aloe.

It's Called Goop!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Recently in Boyland....

Two boys very proud over their volcano experiment (we're studying the planet Venus.)
Introducing: Secret Agent "Shower"
One adorable THREE-year-old
This THREE-year-old loves hockey....

We Love Hatcher Pass!

We went sledding today...and what a blast we had. We even had a bit of sunshine (I'll take any I can get this time of year.) I'm not sure if the boys had more fun sledding or just log rolling down the mountain. Can you spot the three of them in the picture below?

After we'd had our fill, we stopped in for cocoa and nachos at the very humble, rustic, yet charming Hatcher Pass Lodge. There's been a lot of talk about development in the Pass for several years. It's sad to think of what we'd lose if that really happens. A fancy ski lodge would be very dull compared to the stark, natural beauty we enjoy in this present "playground".

When Will I Be Old Enough?

Spunky trying on his big brother's sparring gear. Notice his fight stance, and I can also vouch that a kihap accompanied that front punch.

Christmas 2007

We had a great Christmas! Here are a couple shots of the boys with their gifts. They loved their fleece "sleep tubes" from their grandparents...they have barely set them down for two days. Bobcat was very surprised by his sparring gear, and Eaglet delighted by his tow truck. He had accidentally ripped the paper as he pulled his package out from under the tree...and went CRAZY when he saw the word "Tonka". It was quite a sight to see him open the rest of it. Spunky Cub's gift did not come in the mail in time--so we went with a spur-of-the-moment replacement wooden pizza. He thinks it's cool, but it certainly didn't get the reaction that his hockey set would've. Oh well...Christmas is not about the presents anyway. We'll save it for his birthday coming up in a few weeks (Shh! Don't tell!)

Orange Belt!

Bobcat had a surprise in karate class Tuesday evening. At the beginning of class, his instructor pulled him aside and told him he'd be pulled out of class for his orange belt test. We had no idea; in fact, we had thought he was scheduled to test in January. True to his character, Bobcat took it in stride, and gave it his all for the duration of the 45 minute test. Today, we got his results....way to go, Bobcat!

Mmmm...Gingerbread

We did it! We managed to create a gingerbread house before the ingredients were consumed. Any guesses on how long it will last?

Mission Accomplished

Eaglet on his last day of swimming lessons.

Thanks Great-Grandma!

We got some little packages from Great- Grandma recently...the boys are quite delighted. She also sent Wisconsin cheese!

Puttin' Up the Tree

Per tradition, we put up the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. We cut one down from our woods...I wasn't up to the mess that accompanies a dead-when-u-purchase-it Home Depot tree this year.

Belated Thanksgiving Post

I just visited a blog of a friend who has been diligently posting an "advent picture of the day" the entire month of December. Alas, here I am, posting my Thanksgiving pictures.

During Our Bedtime Story...

Eaglet asked to "check out the photo of continence".

Oh the Things That Cause Excitement....

There was excitement in Boyland this morning. Spunky frantically began pointing to the ceiling yelling, "Uh oh! Fly!" Actually, it sounded more like, "Uh oh! Ohiy!" He had discovered a teeny-tiny spider. Trying to assure him that it really was ok, and that we didn't need to execute emergency procedures only proved to cause more of a commotion. The older two now joined in, "What is that? There's a spider on our ceiling!" Spunky busied himself with scooting a chair over in order to reach the fly swatter, and I realized this was not going to blow over. Because the little bugger was at the highest point of the vaulted ceiling, I could not reach the thing, even standing on a chair. Finally I managed to brush him off a little, causing him to dangle down to the floor. In an instant, three pint-sized boys dropped prostrate to the ground, in a fashion that would have impressed any drill sergeant. They examined the arachnid closely, all the while arguing over what his fate should be.
"Don't hurt him!" exclaimed Eaglet.
"Give me the swatter!" countered Bobcat.
Spunky just sat giggling, nudging the poor creature with his nose in order to make him run.
"We can put him outside."
"No! He'll freeze to death!"
"Let's just let him live in our house."
At this point, Mom finally stepped in with the final decision. "He can't live in here. Bobcat, swat him." This was suddenly met with great approval (Boys can be a bit blood-thirsty, in case you haven't noticed.) and we deposited the remains down the sink.

"Ughhhhh", sighed Eaglet. "I wish there was such a thing as spider snow gear."

Catchin' Up My Blog--Eaglet's Birthday

Hard to believe, but Eaglet is FIVE. We took him to a local indoor playground for his special celebration, followed by lunch, cake, gifts, and a pinata at home afterward. He likes underwater scenes, and so we found him the little treasure chest and scuba diver for his cake. Later, to his delight, we washed it up and added it to his goldfishes' tank. The pinata was a first for our family, and I must admit I was a little worried about it and our houseful of boys. We came away unscathed, however, and it ended up being Grandpa who finally smashed the thing open! I WISH I had a picture of THAT! We were laughing for two days about Grandpa's killer smash.