Independence Mine- Part 1

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to head up to Hatcher's Pass and tour around Independence Mine with Ryan's aunt Yvonne.

Ryan's mom offered to watch the 3 kids! 

I was able to see so much more 

without the kids in tow!

We had a grand ole time enjoying all the scenery and  trying to capture it through our camera lens.

Did I mention that we spent over 3 hours touring around these old buildings!!

Stay tuned for more photos to come.

Joey & Renee

I have browsed through all my pictures many times now. I really couldn't decide which ones to share. It was really hard to just settle on a couple. But these are a few of my favorites.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

 Next I have pictures from my adventure up to Independence Mine with Ryan's aunt Yvonne. Lots more photos. I'll share a few next week. 

Siblings

Over the last couple months Nolan and Naomi's age gap has finally filled in some. The constant teasing and crying has become less. It is so fun to watch them play at home and at friends. I do believe Naomi is going to have some serious readjusting when Nolan starts school.  They sure have a close relationship. I can see that protectiveness while at the same time tenderness that a big brother carries already. I feel so blessed that I get to be at home watching them grow each and every day!

Home Again

It feels so nice to be home! Ryan & I were able to travel to my sister's wedding. It was such beautiful day for an outdoor wedding, and it was a beautiful ceremony!

We traveled without the kids. This was a first for us. And I was pretty nervous.  The kids did great as they usually do. But then again they were in great hands.

We enjoyed our short and busy trip. 

I really wanted to share at least one picture from the wedding but couldn't decide what one to post. Might take some time to sift through all of them.

Fishing

A couple weekends ago, Ryan went halibut fishing out of Homer. I thought it would be a great family opportunity, so we all piled in and went with him. The drive was, as always, absolutely beautiful. I will never get tried of all the beauty that surrounds us here.

We, kids included, got up nice and early to see Ryan off. We drove down to the end of the spit and watched the boat go out. We also watched the ferry come in, dock and unload.

 Then thinking the kids ought to be tried and ready to enjoy a nice morning nap, we all snuggled back in and attempted a nap. Slowly one by one they climbed out of the covers, start giggling and jumping all around the car. Since I knew not much was opened this early, I continued to snuggle beneath the covers to pass the time. It wasn't much later when the kids found my gum and it was passed around. 

Shortly there after, I had a piece of gum that landed in my hair. Ugh! Seriously? With a groan I climbed up to investigate. 

It was a good thing I packed along some peanut butter for our sandwiches. I promptly applied a BIG glob of peanut butter and worked the gum out. 

Sweet deal! I only then realized that I didn't have anything to wash the peanut butter out but with wet wipes. Groan. So I did the best I could. For several long hours afterwards I smelt like a walking peanut butter factory. All in all it ended up being a pretty long day. The guys did however catch there limit. The fish weren't huge but we came home with fish. I hope the next time something like this happens I really think twice about trying to make it a family event.    Have a wonderful weekend! 

Spontaneous picnic outing

One afternoon Ryan called to say he was off early and on his way home. Right away I started packing a picnic supper. When he got home we went to the park to eat and play.

 The weather was a bit on the cooler side and overcast skies. This was perfect since the park wasn't packed and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We had a blast playing and racing around the park.

Then we walked to McDonald's so the kids could have some ice cream for snack. There we ran around so more. We even rolled down the hill. As much as we tried to convince Ryan he didn't  join us in the rolling. The kids thought it was the best! Such a great way to spend the evening.

Birthday wishes

Today Nolan turns 5! 

5...Where on earth does time go? 

Nolan, you continue to bring joy to our lives each and every day. Your favorite color is green. Your favorite toy is your bike. You can actually get a lot of air when you hit your jump. You are a social butterfly! Although you will be the baby of your grade, we feel that your ready for school. We are constantly giggling at the stories you come up with. And trust me, you are quite the story teller. Happy Birthday! Looking forward to many more to come.