San Francisco and Back Again

There are a few cities that seem home to so many sights and wonders, no visit there can ever feel long enough. So it always is with San Francisco. We flew down to see Stephanie's amazing parents Barbara and Joe Thibodeau, but we were treated to so much more. Brandon's brother Ryan, along with his wife Heather and their beautiful little man Jack, came out from North Carolina to meet us. Our friend Andi was our native handler, making sure the bright lights and big city didn't swallow us whole. The rest of the Thibodeau clan was also in attendance, as was our friend Regina. We packed every day with something different and memorable, thanks in large part to Stephanie's careful planning, Andi's priceless assistance and our ongoing determination to show the kids the world outside Alaska. Needless to say, we all had a blast.

A quick rundown of the highlights: Chinatown (and having dim sum), the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf with Ryan, Heather and Jack; the San Francisco Zoo (including a ninja squirrel who stole food out of child strollers, and carousel #1) with Andi and Regina; Santa Cruz's downtown, beach and boardwalk (carousel #2) with Andi; Golden Gate Park, complete with another very friendly squirrel (carousel #3 - hey, Chloe likes carousels); the Exploratorium and new hallowed grounds of George Lucas' operations; and several visits to the awesome beaches of Pacifica, where Barbara and Joe have lived for 35 years (and where Chloe seemed to run from every wave, while Malcolm was busy collecting his own "flotsam"). And of course, spending a lot of precious time with Stephanie's parents. We also took copious photos, as you can see. Therefore, we've cut the blogging this time, and let the images speak for themselves.

And to everyone who made the time for us, thank you.

♥, Calvin, Chloe, Malcolm, Stephanie & Brandon

The Tuckers from Texas come to Alaska

We've been fortunate enough to host Brandon's family from Texas this past week, and everyone's been having a blast. The kids are very excited to see them, especially Adam and Amanda, Brandon's brother and sister. We've taken them to a few of our usual hangouts, like Independence Mine and Talkeetna, and they went off on their own to visit Seward, and to hop a charter cruise of Prince William Sound out of Whittier. They also took Malcolm fishing on the Little Susitna River, and everyone caught their limit, including Malcolm, who snagged a big rainbow trout and two silver salmon.

Calvin is great. He's growing up fast, and is of course the center of attention. The kids can't get enough of him, and usually run to see him when we pick them up from school before they give either of us a passing glance. Of course, we wouldn't want it any other way. His eyes seem settled on blue, despite the fact that the rest of us all have brown eyes (brown/hazel for Stephanie). He's healthy and happy, and starting to interact and smile more every day.

We're now getting ready for our next family get-together, this time down in San Francisco. We'll be flying down and visiting in early August, and we can't wait to see everyone, especially Stephanie's parents Barbara and Joe.

Summer's quickly passing before us. We've decided to go camping at Byers Lake next weekend, weather permitting, and there's still a lot of gardening and firewood preparation that needs to be taken care of. One lesson we learned quickly after moving here is you can never have too much firewood, or start working on it too early. Then there's the State Fair, and more salmon fishing, and Chloe 4th birthday, and before we know it we'll be looking at September and a quickly approaching winter. The seasons change fast, and there's no better time to enjoy the beautiful weather than the present.

Enough of all that. We took plenty of photos, so enjoy. :) ♥, C, C, M, S & B

Calvin Islay Tucker, the World. The World, Calvin Islay Tucker!

Introducing our long-awaited "Blueberry", Calvin Islay! He came into the world at 3:45 on Friday afternoon, after several false alarms over the past week. He weighed 7.5 pounds and measured 19 inches. He is healthy in every way, and has already won the kids over, who can't seem to get enough of him. He's mellow, content and was eating well on the first day. We couldn't be more thankful.

Calvin, of course, is the imaginative six year-old of Calvin and Hobbes. With his limitless visions of fancy, and unique view on the world around him, he was a constant inspiration to Brandon growing up. Islay (pronounced "Eye-Luh"), is an island among the Hebrides, off the western coast of Scotland. It is a quintessentially Scottish place, and the most distillieried area of the country. The smoky whiskies of Islay are Brandon's favorites, and Stephanie generously agreed to the name long ago.

Chloe and Malcolm quickly fell in love with their little brother. They first saw him the day he was born, and we all came home the following evening. Now much of their attention is on holding him, feeding him and generally fawning over him, which he seems to take in stride. Nothing much fazes Calvin, and we're sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop. But so far it's been the perfect experience - eating, pooping, sleeping. Wash, rinse, repeat. In between naps and meals he'll look around inquisitively with his blue-gray eyes. He has a touch of jaundice, but nothing a little vitamin D won't take care of. Otherwise, he's a very healthy, happy newborn.

Life hasn't slowed down, of course. Chloe has taken to dance like nothing before, even more so than Malcolm is with baseball, which is saying something. We love that they each have their special activity, and Stephanie even scheduled her inducement around Chloe's ballet class, so she wouldn't miss her favorite time of the week. Their days are filled with preschool and lots of time outside. They're genuinely happy children; the kind of carefree happiness that only kids know. And summer in Alaska is a magical time, so they're soaking it up.

Stephanie is feeling great. Breastfeeding is going very well this time around. She likely broke her coccyx during labor, but she's already doing much better with just over-the-counter painkillers. She'll start working a few hours a week from home soon, and then will be taking Calvin to the office with her after that. He'll be able to join his siblings at preschool in about a year. And this is the year that Malcolm starts first grade. It's unbelievable how quickly it all happens.

In July we're having visitors. Sandy, Brandon's father, is bringing the gang up from San Antonio - Karen, Amanda and Adam. Aunt Amanda and Uncle Adam will get to see their newest nephew, and they all get to see Alaska for the first time. We also know the kids are going to love being with Adam and Amanda again.

And in August, we'll be the visitors. We're taking the newest Tucker down to San Francisco to see Stephanie's parents, Barbara and Joe, plus the rest of the Thibodeau clan, as well as a few of our friends. And with luck, we hope to be in the Bay Area at the same time as Brandon's brother and sister-in-law, Ryan and Heather, along with their beautiful son Jack. They're going to try flying out to meet us, and to have our kids together for the first time. It's all about family, and we can't wait to get the Tuckers, Thibodeaus and Markheims together.

Finally, we should note that Malcolm has entered into that most hallowed of rites of passage - he's a bike rider! He and Brandon have been working on it since last year, but this was the summer for him. After a few weeks of practice, he finally picked it up on his own, and can now cruise the neighborhood in style, complete with Sesame Street helmet and pads. The look of supreme satisfaction on his face as he rides is priceless. What in the world is more important than riding your first bike? Life is good.

Love always,

Calvin, Chloe, Malcolm, Stephanie and Brandon