Finally! Summer Is Back!

It shouldn't come as a surprise how long winter lasts each year, yet it always seems to do just that.  Maybe it's having grown up with the notion of four seasons, and calendars that tell us each one lasts about three months, but there's something that just refuses to let go of the notion that winter is only supposed to be a few months of the year.  In our neck of the woods, of course, those "few months" amount to about seven.  Naturally, once the freezing temperatures finally let go of their grip, spring seems to explode in Alaska, followed almost immediately by summer.  Spring and fall are really just brief bumper seasons, with summer stretching from late May to early September, and winter dominating most of the remaining days.  And because of that, the warm sunshine always feels all the more wonderful.

The kids have now entered a period of truly full-time activities, as Calvin has followed in Malcolm's footsteps and joined baseball.  He's playing t-ball for the first time, while Malcolm has moved up to an older league where the kids wear authentic MLB uniforms.  Both are very excited.  Malcolm is now a full-fledged Boy Scout, and Chloe is still loving gymnastics, impressing us and her coaches.  Malcolm also plays trumpet, and was recently selected for the advanced honors band; he plays handbells, too.  Chloe still sings in the school choir.  And Malcolm has continued to participate in various academic competitions, winning for math, reading and science "olympiads".  He even got a mention in the local paper.  :)

This year marks Malcolm's last in elementary school, though it hardly seems like so much time has already escaped us.  In the fall, he'll start as a 6th grader at Teeland Middle School, just up the road from us.  The school focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) studies, which is right up his alley.  They also have a well known jazz band program, which he's excited about.  Calvin, meanwhile, will become a kindergartner, and will come home on the bus with Chloe, who'll be in 4th grade.  Speaking of Mr. Calvin, he has officially adopted dressing "fancy" as his guiding principle in life.  More often than not, he chooses to wear little blazers and suits to school, often complete with clip-on ties and his very own top hat and cane.  For his birthday, he wants a tuxedo, and another top hat.  He's practically the Monopoly Man.  And he happily makes the rest of us look like slobs.

Chloe and Malcolm often participate in some kind of summer day camp or outdoor program, and this year they'll be doing a bit of farming for a few days, including milking goats and riding horses (Chloe's favorite, naturally).  Malcolm and Brandon will also be tackling the historic Crow Pass Trail again this year, as they did last summer.  The Eagle River bisects the 26 mile-long trail; we hiked the northern portion last year, so we'll do the other half this summer.

Finally, Stephanie and Brandon are ready to plan our first overnight camping/bike trip.  We've been daydreaming about it for years, so it's nice to finally get around to doing it.  We'll be staying at a large homestead-turned-campground down in Homer, run by the Kilcher family.  They're the folks you often see on Discovery Channel; the singer Jewel is a Kilcher also, and got her start busking in Homer.  Our motorcycle doesn't have the pannier luggage we want yet, but we'll get there.  In the mean time, we'll just strap all our camping gear down on our soft saddlebags.  We're really looking forward to getting out on our first long ride together.

That's about it.  Of course, Stephanie's big 40th birthday is coming up on May 29, and Calvin is turning 5 on June 13.  We also have our July/August trip to Hawaii to look forward to, at least one family camping trip, and a full summer to get out and enjoy.  Life is decidedly good!

♥