Kindergarten

I'm sorry I have not posted in so long!  Life has become extremely busy with starting back to work but I had to take time to give Lydia props for surviving her first day of Kindergarten!!!!  Lydia was so excited the night before that she slept terribly.  I picked up a child who only had good this to say about her day but was horribly grumpy!  Let's hope for better sleep and more happy days.  Megan

First Visitors

Dad and Dana spent five days visiting us!  Kodiak did not disappoint--we had gorgeous weather and tons of outdoor activities to share with them.  I think we went on a hike every day, each one different.  We loved showing off our new hometown almost as much as we loved spending time with Dad and Dana.  Megan

You Scream, I Scream

We had to try out the new ice cream shop in Kodiak.  This is big news for our little town!  Both kids give it their stamp of approval.  Megan

Lunchdate

Lydia had a lunchdate with John at his work and insisted on dressing the part.  Megan

Let's Catch Up

Both kids are in full-time preschool--Now that I am employed one hour a day (the way everyone is intended to work) both children were accepted into the Child Development Center on base.  Talk about convenient!  Lydia rides her bike (without training wheels by the way) to school each day while Jack and I stroll.  I get to spy on the kids in the morning as their classes often go to the park right next to our house.  Expectedly, Jack has struggled with morning drop-offs but he now will report "I like school!" upon pickup.  It looks like things are lining up for me to head back to work full-time in late August.  A Mom with Mixed Feelings, Megan

Hello Kodiak ER

So we had our first Kodiak ER visit over the weekend.  John and I, in an attempt to improve our energy levels, began the Whole30 diet last Thursday--no alcohol, no diary, no carbs, no processed sugar.  Here we are on day two of our diet after a hike, feeling great.  That all changed on day three when John experienced extreme cramping and vomiting.  Off to the ER!  Collapsed small intestine--diet was too much, too fast.  Sorry John (this diet had been my idea to begin with).  On a positive note, the ER had no wait!   A little morphine and all was reset, as it relaxes the muscles of the intestine.  Megan

Lydia Asks Daddy for a Tree Swing...

So she gets a tree swing.  Megan

Sweetheart

Lydia was inspired by a cake decorating video she found on YouTube to make John a Welcome Back From Deployment Cake (he returns tomorrow).  Nothing says welcome home better than a princess cake!  I got wrapped up in the activity too and had high hopes for how it might turn out.  Along the way, the reality of how difficult it is to cake-decorate hit me.  But I love, love, love how it didn't phase Lydia a bit that the cake didn't look like the one in the video. She was thrilled with the outcome.  Megan

P.S.  Here is the back of the cake.

Happy 4th!

Happy Independence Day!  We went to the Kodiak parade this morning with several families from base.  This photo is a great reminder of why we love Kodiak so much--so family-friendly!  Megan

Fishing Success

John had his first successful fishing excursion this week while on deployment in Cordova.  He caught three red salmon and is bringing me home enough fish for several meals.  Megan

Salmonberries

It is salmonberry season in Kodiak.  These berries grow wild all over the island.  They are like blackberry's tart cousin.  The kids don't really eat them but they sure enjoy picking them!  It has provided us with several hours of entertainment while John is on a short deployment.  I tried my hand at making Salmonberry Crunch, also known as Bear Poop Pie.  Megan

Half a Decade

Can you believe John and I have a five year old!?!?!?  Happy Birthday kind Lydia!!!  Celebrations began on Saturday with a pool party.  It was a fun hour of swimming and cake with lots of new friends.  Her day yesterday was filled with lots of presents.  Thank you Grandparents!!!  Celebrations ended last night with a pizza picnic at the park with friends.  Megan

Smoke Master!

John had a very successful Father's Day, successful in BBQing, that is.  John's early Father's Day gift was a electric smoker.  Restaurants are limited on Kodiak and there is no option at all for BBQ.  Last week's first attempt to smoke a brisket turned out tasty but a bit chewy.  Yesterday's second attempt turned out purrrrfect!  John was all smiles--it made his Father's Day a happy one.  Love you John!  Megan

Summer in Kodiak

The kids and I made our third failed attempt to see a bear tonight with friends.  Reports of bear sightings are frequent as fishing season has officially begun.  Bear spray in hand, we will await our first encounter (don't worry, from afar).  Megan

Picnic in the Woods

 We went on a bear hunt tonight.  No luck seeing a bear but we did have a lovely picnic by a creek.  Megan

Crabfest

This weekend is Crabfest. The day started with watching Lydia ride in a parade float with her classmates.  We later had a yummy dinner of king crab and fish and chips.  The kids actually tried the fish and liked it!!!!  We even went back and bought them a whole other plate!!!!  A new option for protein!!!!!   The day was topped off with a drive up to see the wind turbines.  Gorgeous day in Kodiak.  Let me say this again - I love living here!

Megan

First Hike

The kids and I finally went hiking, an activity that is very popular here in Kodiak.  We did a quick 30 minute trail, which was lovely.  As you can see, The hike got mixed reviews from the kids.  Megan

My Lego Queen

Lydia has become quite the Lego fanatic.  She and John have built several kits together; they are currently working on a superhero kit.  She also likes freestyle building with Legos passed onto her from John's childhood (Thanks Phyllis!).  In this photo Lydia is showing off one of her creations, "Magic Machine," which is being displayed at the library.  Megan

Changes

After spending two weeks on my own with these cuties (not hard) John is back from his pilot course!  And I have accepted a summer position returning to Speech Pathology, which will hopefully turn into a full time job this fall with the school district.  For now, my hours will be limited each day, which will hopefully make for a nice transition back.  We have childcare set up to begin mid-June for Jack and Lydia will extend her time at preschool following Memorial Day.  I'm going to miss hanging out with these sweet faces all day long but know that we are ready for this big change, all of us.  Megan

BIG Slide

We have found our favorite park in Kodiak that has a extra-long slide.  Click on the two links to view each kid taking a turn. Megan

https://youtu.be/F0eMhrAQ3Po

https://youtu.be/cv2lpSoNnpU

PS Lydia still thinks all videos automatically get uploaded to YouTube, hence her "Bye Disney Toys" comment.  That is her favorite YouTube Channel.

T Ball

Now that Lydia is getting close to school-age there are lots of activities available to her!  I'm...oops, I mean "she"....is so excited!  She began T Ball two weeks ago and is on Team Subway.  She has games and practices about three times a week and so far Lydia loves it.  In last night's game, she played first base and loved all the action first base brought her.  Go Team Subway!  Megan

Legit.

The Xterra is legitimate now!  I was not sad to say goodbye to my California plates. We love it here!  Megan 

Jack-Man!

I have been posting so much about Lydia that I figured Jack needs some blog attention.  Yesterday I asked Jack if he was sleepy.  His reply:  "No, I'm not sleepy.  I'm Jack-Man!"  Jack loves pushing the baby stroller around our neighborhood.  He loves reinacting 5 Little Monkeys by jumping off the bed onto his knees (ouch!).  He is a Peppa Pig fan and requests to watch it daily (to Lydia's dismay).  He also loves a good Easter egg hunt, no matter the time of year.  Mostly though, he makes John and I laugh every day.  We are smitten with Jack-Man.  Megan  

Let's Make Something

"Mom, do you wanna make something?"  I hear this daily from Lydia.  She certainly takes after John in her interest for building/creating.  It may be a fire, a train, a lego set or a birdhouse.  Both her old and new teachers have commented on how much she enjoys creating. Megan