Too Long Since Our Last Post!

Boy, is that an understatement. It seems like life for us has been on fast forward since Halloween, which turned into Malcolm's birthday, then Brandon's birthday, then a visit from Brandon's brother Ryan, which became Thanksgiving, which became Christmas, which is now turning into the New Year, and finally beginning to settle down. And throughout the past two months, we've had winter to work with (trust us, it starts earlier up here), plus soccer, kindergarten, preschool, work and of course, the next little Tucker! It's more than enough to interrupt our blogging intentions, but our apologies all the same.

Halloween was great this year. If climate change has an upside, this had to be it. Our first two Halloweens in Alaska were eye-openers, to say the least. By the end of October there's usually snow and ice all around, and temperatures are well below freezing. 2007 was the exception. The weather was merely cool by our shifting standards, and the kids had a blast once again visiting the retirees at the Pioneer village. Living to old age in Alaska is something to be celebrated, and the Pioneers at the local retirement home put on a terrific show for trick-or-treating kids.

Our big boy turned 6!!! It's hard to fathom how quickly they're both growing up. We had a great turn-out at his party, and the weather was beautiful - bright and sunny, with enough snow on the ground for all the kids (and Brandon) to play outside.

As always, it was wonderful to see Ryan. Now that the kids are out of their toddler years, they know very well who Uncle Ryan is, and we all had a terrific time during his visit. Brandon is likewise preparing to fly out to see Ryan and Heather in Charlotte for the birth of their son Jack in March. We're separated only by geography, but are otherwise very close.

Thanksgiving was quite the feast, and we continued our tradition of hosting Brandon's friend Don and his son Justin. None of us have extended family up here, so it's always good to surround ourselves with people we care about, especially during the holidays. Speaking of which, Christmas was great this year. Malcolm wrote a letter to Santa at the North Pole (AKA North Pole, Alaska), asking for a new saucer sled. Sure enough, the big guy came through! And in Malcolm's favorite color, no less! The kids had an absolutely marvelous time ripping through their presents, and all despite the near catastrophe that eupted in our house only 48 hours prior...

At about 3:30 on the morning of Sunday (12/23), a downpour suddenly started inside a closet. It turns out that what began as a bitter cold spell the week before was now manifesting itself, thanks to several burst hot water pipes upstairs. Over the course of the next two days, nearly 20 gallons of water dripped, trickled and outright poured from our downstairs ceiling, having collected over the days in the crawlspaces and insulation above our heads. Stephanie and the kids had to spend that night in a hotel, while Brandon stayed behind with no heat or water to keep up the vigil. We're now in the midst of the repairs and renovation (our heat and water have both been restored), all of which will end up costing thousands. Fortunately, our insurance policy is covering everything. And yet we were still able to enjoy a truly happy Christmas, so we're thankful things weren't worse.

Stephanie's pregnancy has progressed perfectly, and "Blueberry" is growing up right on schedule. We expect to greet her or him around June 17th. Malcolm's soccer season has come to an end, and he's decided to work on his ice skating now, in the hopes of joining a hockey team in 2008. Chloe's undecided whether she wants to try soccer, or follow what seems to be her true passion and take dance classes.

It's the small things that we really enjoy, though. We spend most of our free time together as a family, just having fun. We do a lot of sledding and playing in the snow. A few weeks ago we took the kids to Benihana for dinner. Brandon had been showing them online videos of Benihana chefs doing their stuff, so they were excited to see the real thing for themselves. We want to take them to one of the many local dogsled camps, where visitors can meet the dog teams, eat a meal with the drivers, and enjoy a day of mushing through the woods. We've been ice skating a lot now, and lastnight we all went to the indoor pool at the high school. Brandon recently spoke with a local dairy farm about setting up a tour, and we're eager to take Chloe and Malcolm soon. Anchorage's Fur Rendezvous ("Fur Rondy") starts February 22nd, and of course the Iditarod begins on March 1st. Winter in Alaska isn't for the faint of heart, but it's fun!

We hope you've all had a wonderful holiday season, and we wish you a healthy and joyous 2008. Take care of each other!

Love always,

Chloe, Malcolm, Stephanie and Brandon

Where do We Start?!

First, the big news: STEPHANIE'S PREGNANT!!! "Blueberry", as we're calling the baby, should be about six weeks along by now. As with Malcolm and Chloe, we won't find out the sex beforehand; we like the mystery. If it's a boy, he'll be Calvin Islay ("eye-luh"), and if a girl she'll be Molly Anna. If they're twins, um, we're in trouble. :) Stephanie feels great, aside from occasional nausea in the morning and after eating. We have our first appointment (and perhaps a sonogram) in early November, and we'll keep everyone posted. Oh, and the due date for now is June 17.

Otherwise, we have been BUSY. Malcolm started soccer recently, his first team sport. He loves it, and says defense and goalie are his favorite positions. He plays at the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex, a giant indoor facility that features both a soccer field and a hockey rink, along with a running track, shop, cafe', etc. As he started playing, Autumn replaced Summer. Alaska's Autumn is beautiful, if brief. In the few weeks since the leaves began to turn and fall, it has already snowed twice, and a couple inches of white slush currently blanket everything outside. The quickly lowered temperatures mean Brandon has spent much of his time working on getting the house ready for Winter, and we're now keeping a fire in the wood stove going throughout the day, with about a cord and a half already stacked outside, and another cord on the way. For the uninitiated, a cord of wood measures 4'x4'x8'. It's surprising how quickly you go through wood when you rely on it for heating, and with six months of Winter to look forward to, we'll use it all.

In other big news, we just got back from our big trip to the City by the Bay, San Francisco. Stephanie's parents Barbara and Joe live down there, as does the rest of her family, and we were able to spend some great time with both family and many of our friends. Malcolm and Chloe stayed with Stephanie's nieces Monica and Amanda one night at our hotel while we partied with old friends at Baytoberfest, our version of Oktoberfest. We were visited by the boys in blue from the San Carlos Police Department, so we knew the party was a success.

With the kids, we visited every Bay Area icon we could: the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Palace of Fine Arts, the San Francisco Zoo, even a cable car. The weather, with the exception of rain on our first day, was beautiful. We also took the kids to the beach in Pacifica, where Stephanie's parents still live. Alaska may have the longest coastline in America, but our beaches aren't exactly sunny and warm in October. After a whirlwind week of great food, great fun and wonderful times with family and friends, we were all exhausted. Nonetheless, our little vacation was still too brief, and we were sorry to say goodbye to everyone we love. Hopefully we'll see some of them next Summer. Mean while, we'll be welcoming Brandon's brother Ryan in just a few days!

Now, back in the beginning of another Alaskan Winter, we're settling in for a fun season, looking forward to the next member of the Tucker family and missing all those who mean so much to us. Enjoy the photos!

Love,

Chloe, Malcolm, Stephanie and Brandon

A Weekend of Museums

With Summer now gone and Alaska's hurried version of Fall in full swing, many attractions in the Last Frontier use this time of year to give a last send-off before closing for six months of winter. We knew this past weekend would be the last for the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry, and since Mother Nature graciously let it stop raining on Friday, we were determined to take full advantage before they closed the doors till next year. Spread over a dozen acres here in Wasilla, MATI is a watershed of the pioneering technology and spirit that helped build Alaska's roads, farms, railways, flight routes, you name it. Brandon jokingly called it the Museum of White People. Nevertheless, it was an amazing look at the original planes, trucks, boats, trains and tractors that were used to transform a wilderness, and we bought a membership so we can visit again all next Summer.

While we toured the grounds of MATI we kept hearing what sounded like a train whistle, so we decided to investigate. Next door we found an absolute wonderland, called Alaska Live Steamers. Run solely by a handful of volunteers, these guys have managed to turn a few dozen acres of woodland into an incredible miniature world of rail. Once again, we managed not only to catch them on the last open weekend of the year, but they ran the train once more just for us, as they were preparing to shut down for the season. Every detail of an early 20th century rail yard was present, in about 1/10 scale. As long time aficionados of Thomas the Tank Engine, we knew what to look for. $16 later, we straddled padded bench cars, with an engineer sitting atop the caboose, and another astride the second of two Alaska Railroad engines, all of which was completely hand-made by our guides. The six of us chugged out of the "station" and on a make-believe journey that would do Walt Disney justice. Winding through the chilly woods, there were miniature houses, animals and people scattered along the line, with functional trestle bridges, train sheds, a tunnel and a roundhouse. It was awesome. Later, Stephanie mentioned in hushed tones that at one point she noticed large, fresh scat next to the tracks: recent bear activity.

Sunday was a museum of a different sort. The Anchorage Museum, Alaska's largest, with a world-class collection, was hosting a large event. Well, two, actually. They were celebrating the construction of their massive expansion, as well as hosting a free kids' day. In conjunction with The Imaginarium, a popular Anchorage science museum for kids, they put on quite the production, with science tables, biology displays and the large kids' art room. Pamyua performed live. Pronounced "Bum-yua", they're a Native band that mixes traditional sounds with contemporary influences, and are Alaska's equivalent of rock stars. The house was packed, and we had a lot of fun. And to top it all off, we then headed over to one of our favorite places, Title Wave Books. Imagine a Barnes & Noble-sized used book shop, with every genre and subgenre under the sun, plus music and Kaladi Bros. coffee. They have a terrific kids' section, so we hung out for a while reading, then finally drove home, out of energy, but with great memories, lots of photos and a handful of books in tow.

By the way, this past week was exciting for another reason. After just his first few weeks of kindergarten, Malcolm has already been awarded a special certificate for STUDENT OF THE MONTH! He attended a celebration with the other students in the school library and received a round of applause from his teacher and friends. We're so very proud of him. :)

Love always,

The Tuckers.

The lady in the picture.

Anna Lauyse Markheim died about one year ago now. Since then, I've wrestled with every emotion time and again. I've wailed like a baby, I've shrugged it off as a past concern. I've wondered endlessly what it would be like were she alive today, if she could see my children, watch Malcolm in his first year as a kindergartner, or see Chloe draw amazing illustrations with her left hand. Stephanie and I are trying to have another baby now. My brother Ryan and his wife Heather are already expecting, with three-dimensional sonogram images that would absolutely amaze Mom, could she view them as I have. Ryan recently visited the little riverbank where, on his 28th birthday, he and I buried her ashes last year in a bed of flower bulbs. He held up his cell phone and played the audio recording of his baby's heartbeat to her.

There's a lady who surrounds me and my family. She's in pictures all around. One depicts her dancing with me on my wedding day, the happiest day I've ever known. Another shows the two of us on a family vacation to the United Kingdom, shoulder to shoulder along the Cliffs of Dover. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Ryan and I were unabashedly close to Mom. We did everything together. She packed my high school lunches with the kind of thoughtfulness only a mother knows, and I ate them without embarassment, despite teenage insecurities. She was never a friend - she was always my parent, but one in whom I could confide the world. And now all I have is the lady in the picture, and my memories.

My children will know her through me, as will Ryan's through him. And in that sense, she will live on, though I'll always harbor a sadness for having lost her so soon. Malcolm has the faintest memories of his Nana. Chloe perhaps none at all, and our next baby will only know a name and a tale. But it's something.

Moose!

Mama and her Spring babies can't stay away from our raspberries, but there are plenty to go around. This is our first attempt at adding video to the blog, so bear with us as we slowly get better. :)

Oh, this is from Brandon standing in our kitchen the other day. Enjoy!

The Perfect Week

What a week! As you can see from all the photos, we've been extra busy. We started last Sunday with Chloe's party, complete with little girls (and two boys) all in pink. Monday was Malcolm's first day of kindergarten, and he was great. Stephanie dropped him off and Brandon picked him up. It was pretty heady stuff. We learned Tuesday that he and the other kindergartners actually ride the school bus in the morning, directly from their preschool parking lot. The trip is about half a mile long. So now our big kindergartner is also a school bus rider. Friday was Chloe's actual third birthday, and we threw her another mini-party with a few extra presents. She received some of her favorite things: clothes, a book and art supplies. Our dog Simon also managed to sniff out a porcupine a few feet away from where Brandon and the kids were playing out front, and got a snout full of quills for his curiosity. Brandon managed to yank them all out, but not without a few puppy whimpers. We can report however that once the quills were plucked, Simon was off searching for the porcupine again, tail wagging.

Yesterday we all went to the state fair, which has now become something of a tradition for us. We packed a ton of food, plus extra blankets and small pillows, making us the ultimate self-sufficient family on a budget. We broke down and bought fried cheese curds and a funnel cake, though that's practically manadatory. Otherwise it was all about the pony ride, face painting and every contrivance of carnival ride possible. Chloe eagerly lined up for a lovely pink unicorn on her cheek, which she sat through with a patience that still defies her parents' belief. The highlight of the day occured during the lumberjack show, when out of an audience of a few hundred, Malcolm was chosen by "Adam" to walk down to the woodlot and receive his just-carved kids' chair. Malcolm went to bed lastnight whispering that Adam is his new lumberjack friend. We saw the full-scale locomotive barbecue that can grill a whole pig, pet every breed of cow, sheep, goat, pig, chicken, rabbit and turkey known, watched skydivers descend over the crowd and even managed to slip in an afternoon nap in a shady corner between the baseball field and the residents of Oertha.

Today we took a picnic to Independence Mine State Historical Park. The weather has been beautiful lately, and we whiled away the afternoon with a bucket of the Colonel's finest, surrounded by a soft sea of crowberries, blueberries and salmonberries at 3,500 feet above sea level. It's hard to imagine a more lovely place. You can see with absolute clarity for miles. We'll be going back there while the "warm" weather lasts, to lounge amid the berry humps and sphagnum moss. It's like a gently rippling lake of soft, spongy berries, with the valley far below and only the crags and the brilliant sky above.

As always, we love you all.

-The Tuckers