Auntie Andi and Our Waning Summer

We've been lucky enough to have our share of visitors from Outside - Brandon's brother Ryan flew up twice, as did his friend Chris. Stephanie's parents Barbara and Joe have been here, and last summer Brandon's pop, step-mom and younger brother and sister (Sandy, Karen, Adam and Amanda, respectively) also joined us. This time, however, it was our good friend Andi from San Francisco (Auntie Andi to the kids).

We had a blast showing her around. We took in all the usual sights: Hatcher Pass and Independence Mine, canoeing around the Nancy Lake area, the reindeer farm, the wildlife conseration center, the Alyeska tram, even an obligatory stop at a tchotchke shop downtown. Andi wasn't sure what to expect from her first trip to the Last Frontier, but we think she genuinely enjoyed herself. Here's hoping she'll be back.

Other changes have been afoot, like CALVIN WALKING! Unfortunately, we've yet to catch this feat on film (well, on processing chip), but believe us when we say Calvin is a cruiser. It only took him about three weeks to really master it, and now he ambles (and falls, and gets back up again) all day. It's great.

Malcolm finished his baseball season with a celebratory bash with his team, and even earned himself a trophy for "best improvement". He was very proud of himself. Chloe will be turning five in about a month, and will be entering kindergarten sooner than that, about a week after Malcolm starts second grade. We're constantly bewildered at how fast this has all happened.

Otherwise, we're just enjoying ourselves and each other as usual. Next month is the big state fair, and then we'll be facing winter again. Our vegetable garden is coming in very nicely this year, and we'll have more firewood than ever to get us through. Life in Alaska is never dull. :)

♥, the Tuckers

Summer at the Top of the World

We've been blessed with a much warmer, sunnier summer this year than the soggy, sorry excuse of a season we endured last year, and it shows in how we've spent our spare time. In the weeks since our return from Disneyworld, we've gone camping, fishing, hiking and on numerous bike rides. We've also spent countless hours just playing out in the yard, especially now that the new playset is up.

Unfortunately, our camera battery literally came apart after we got back to Alaska, so many photo opportunities, like Calvin's first birthday, and the camping and fishing trips, have gone undocumented. We're back in business now though, so here are a few shots to last until our next adventure. :)

♥

Disney World!

It took about two years to plan and save for our first family vacation, and it was entirely worth it. At four o'clock this morning we arrived back home from our week-long trip to Walt Disney World. Not to be outdone by Brandon's recent surgery and recovery, Mother Nature tried to scuttle our plans with off-season thunderstorms the first two days of our arrival. Nothing says excitement like a sudden torrential downpour while on an electrically powered ride. To make matters worse, Stephanie spent nearly her entire birthday at a local hospital due to stomach problems (though she's much better now). Still, we were determined to enjoy ourselves. We managed to visit the Magic Kingdom twice, plus Typhoon Lagoon, the Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney, along with just having fun around our room at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. It's good to be home, but we're sorry we had to leave. We'll let some of the many photos we took hint at all the fun we had. :)

♥, The Tuckers