Last Week of School!

While Papa was busy with the last week of school activities, we were busy exploring. Although it wasn't as sunny as last week, we did bundle up and go for a hike.

Did you say hike Momma?  

Well, more like a stroll through our local Nirvana Park. I love how a few steps in and you really feel like you drove out the road and are hiking around in the forest.  Leinna had a blast walking around all the little trails. 

Then we found the water :O) 

Once I showed her how fun throwing rocks can be, she was entertained for quite some time. She was cracking me up in the fact that she had to count to ten each time before she could throw the rock. Boy, I made the mistake one time of just trying to skip the rock without counting, and Leinna made sure to tell me we had to count to ten first. 

When the rain set in, we entertained ourselves by jumping on the bed. 

And yes, we had to count each jump to ten before she would laugh and fall down. 

Mister Lukkas is busy watching his big sister do all these fun activities. I can already see that he's trying to figure out how to keep up with her. 

Being 8 weeks old now, Lukkas sure is smiling and cooing. Leinna gets such a kick out of when Lukkas 'talks' to her.  

Here Lukkas and I are looking at each other in the mirror. He thought it was so funny and actually laughed out loud! So precious...

And yes, even though it's the middle of May and we are still wearing warm pants and coats...

we are still all smiles as we head out for our adventures. 

Our adventures next week include all of us (including the dog) heading to Anchorage for some unexpected doctor appointments for Momma and Papa. Should be a fun ride on the boat later this week. 

We wish everyone good health and a blessed week.

Happy Memorial Day and we are thankful for those who have served and those who continue to serve to keep us safe.  

Fun in the Sun!

This past week we had beautiful sunny days and we took advantage of them!

My apologies for the photo quality- a quick snap with the cell phone camera to capture our dog, Bailey, patiently waiting for us to get ready to go outside. 

After a quick photo shoot to document Lukkas being 7 weeks old, we headed outside!

 Leinna loved wearing her sunglasses and sitting in the chair - well for about 30 seconds. Then she was off collecting pinecones and rocks.  So thankful my house sits away from the road and I can just let Leinna roam around. She did test her boundaries a few times, but once she learned how far she could go- she did a great job of enjoying her time in the sun.

The City of Cordova recently opened a new and improved playground area.

I was impressed to see a smaller playground set-up for younger kids.  

Leinna was SO EXCITED! 

 We must have gone down the slide for a good 15 minutes, before Leinna realized there was other items to play on.

 This was Leinna's idea of climbing the cargo net :O) 

So the playground also has a bigger set for older kids. I thought for sure Leinna would be a little nervous about climbing up to the big slide. But - nope! No fear what-so-ever!!

 She didn't go down the big slide as much - but as you can see- she was all smiles all the way down! 

So you may be wondering- what was Mr. Lukkas doing while sister was enjoying the playground?

 Yep- there he is sound asleep in his car seat which fits into a stroller...

blowing bubbles.

So thankful for the past week of sunny and almost warm (57 degrees!) weather.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day

As both little ones are taking a nap, I find myself overwhelmed with emotions today. 

Over the years the word "mom" as had a variety of meanings.  When I was young, mom was the person who made yummy dinners, provided comfort when I was sick, and made sure I did my chores.  When I was a teenager, mom was the person who drove me crazy and who I thought had no idea what I was going through- yet little did I know she knew exactly what I was going through and without her guidance and prayers- we may not have survived those teenage years. In my 20's, mom became the person who I could seek advice from as I journeyed into adulthood.  In my 30's, I am honored to now hold the title of mom.  I frequently seek my mom's advice on parenting issues and don't know what I'd do without my mom's guidance, prayers and love. 

As I type I hear, "momma" from upstairs as Leinna is waking from her nap. My heart surges with love as I think - wow, I am a momma. I have the joy and privilege of being a momma to two wonderful children. I hope one day they too can look back and be thankful. 

 I know I'm beyond thankful for my mom and the role she's plays in my life. 

I love you mom!

Little Miss Diva and Mr Flirt

Many of you that follow our adventures through this little blog, know that Papa is anti-girly-girly things for Leinna. So, when some dear friends of our brought this "Diva" outfit for Leinna, I couldn't stop laughing!!

I have to confess that the feather boa was short lived-

  as it was shedding pink feathers all over the house!

Well, since Miss Leinna had her diva outfit, Mr. Lukkas decided he needed to be entertaining as well. So, you can often find him giving you his little flirty smile :O)  He's also starting to find his voice- I'd forgot how sweet those cooing sounds are. 

When we are not busy being diva's and flirts, we still find ourselves reading books to each other...

and Leinna has decided that a new toy for Lukkas must be for her too!

Even though she's been a bit jealous of items for Lukkas, she is very loving to him - almost too lovey at times.  Above she's trying to share her snack with Lukkas. It was a bit challenging to try and explain that Lukkas was too little for a Cheerio when her sweet heart was set on sharing with him.  

Yep- another injury- at least it wasn't her nose this time!

The picture really doesn't do the goose egg that formed on her forehead justice. Poor girl was walking up the stairs from the pantry to the kitchen and slipped and hit her head on the door frame! OUCH!! It looks much better this morning- but she's definitely going to have a nice bruise. Good thing her bangs hide it pretty well. 

Well, as I sit her and type this, the weather has gone from heavy rain, to very wet slushy snow and then back to heavy rain. The snow is not really accumulating, but still- more snow in May. Ugh...  When the weather gets like this, it makes me want to back my bags and head back to the lower 48 where spring and summer are emerging. Maybe I'll just go take a nap and dream of warm weather :O)

Smiles and Snow!

We are starting to see smiles from Mr. Lukkas - and not because of gas :O) 

Lukkas is 5 weeks old now. We'll be headed to Anchorage in a week for check-up and shots. Not the funnest trip to make, but looking forward to seeing how much he has grown. 

Lukkas is settling into some what of a routine, but not really. We average about 3 hours between feedings and sometimes 4 hours during the night. He's also started to enjoy taking baths. His first couple of baths he cried the entire time, but now when he hears the water running, he either gets calm and just listens or gets excited and starts moving his little legs all around.  On the days that Leinna goes to day care, Lukkas seems to sleep a lot more, until she comes home and then he's wide awake and watching what is big sister is up to.

Yep- SNOW!  On May 2nd, we had between 3-4 inches of snow!

Who would have thought that I'd be taking his first snowfall picture in May!  So glad it didn't stick around and was gone within the next day.

I'm amazed - capture a half-way decent photo of the 3 of us. Papa was at work and we were playing with the camera to entertain Leinna. 

Have a wonderful week everyone! Much Love ~

Puddles of Fun!

This past week was our first full week on our own! Leinna is still attending day care 3 days a week which is helpful for both her and I. She loves her friends and Ms. Sarah at day care and as for Momma, she can get house work done :o) 

So on the days Leinna is home, house work is put aside and we have some fun! 

We've had amazing weather the past week and enjoyed our time outside. 

With fresh puddles in the driveway...

Who could resist!

We had loads of fun running back and forth until she slipped and fell in the puddle. The picture above does not show very well how wet and muddy she was. After a quick hug for reassurance that she was okay, she was right back into running back and forth in the puddle. 

When we were not outside, Leinna found it very entertaining to read books to Lukkas.

Thanks to my sister-in-law, Emily, Lukkas now has an owl hat too!

I think I'm going to have to find the pattern and make a Momma and Papa owl hats :o) 

Amazing that Lukkas has been with us for a month already! He's changed so much already and I'm reminded to take time to cherish these moments because it really does go by too quickly. Lukkas is very different from Leinna in so many ways - I knew they weren't going to be exactly the same, but it's like being a brand new parent again because he is so different than she was. For example, Leinna HATED to be swaddled or snuggled with. She was good with hanging out on the floor until she needed to be fed. Even when she was falling asleep, she preferred to lay by herself and would dose off on her own.  Lukkas on the other hand is very much a snuggler and loves to be swaddled. He tolerates hanging out on his own for maybe 5 to 10 minutes and then lets such a cute little cry out that says, "I'm lonely and need a hug."

 Once he's back in your arms, he's content to observe the world from there. 

Have a wonderful week and know that we love and miss each and everyone of you who follow our adventures!

Baby Shower

 On Saturday, April 21st, my fellow church/bible study ladies threw Lukkas and I a baby shower! We had a super yummy German Chocolate cake!! 

 Lukkas ready to go to his party! Doesn't he look just so excited. This would be the same face his Grandpa Emerson would make about going to a social gathering. 

 The ladies had all kinda of fun games planned. Here's a picture of Baby Bottle Bowling. We also played 'Price is Right' with baby items purchased locally in Cordova, such as diaper wipes and baby wash. The ladies showered Lukkas with love and wonderful gifts. This was just what I needed since Grandma Emerson had left Friday evening - the perfect distraction to get through the day. 

Miss Leinna was not invited to the party as it was during her normal nap time, but Momma brought balloons home from the party.  She loved that they floated to the ceiling and could pull them back down.  This morning when the balloons no longer "floated" she was a bit frustrated, but soon realized balloons are still fun to play with.  Thank goodness one did not pop- especially since she kept trying to stand and sit on them!!

 For those who were wondering if our snow is melting or not - it is!! 

We've had heavy rains during the night and early morning and then sun during the day which is helping get rid of the snow.

You can see the snow level back in January compared to now. We will probably still have snow in the yard come August- but I'm hoping it will at least be lower than the deck by then! 

This will be our first week without the assistance of Grandma Emerson. 

So, so thankful for the time she was able to come to Alaska to be with us!