Contacts

Violet and I went to Anchorage a week ago for an orthodontist appointment. It was a beautiful day as we set out. Violet drove us up to Cooper Landing and then we swapped. I asked her to send a text to Mike to let him know that we were leaving Cooper Landing. She sent the text. What I didn't know as that she also updated his contact. When we were in Anchorage, I see a text from "BooBear." It took me a minute to figure out what she had done... 

Later that night when we arrived home, Simon asked if that was the only contact that was changed. I looked at him skeptically and then looked at my phone. My contact for the kids' phone which usually reads "Williams Kids" is now "Heirs to the Throne." Which must clearly be the white throne in the bathroom as we have no other thrones in this house.... 

Take it to the bench

Oscar is in a construction class this quarter. In this class, teams of kids get together and decide what they are going to build. His group has a couple of boys who want to build a folding ping pong table, which sounds pretty ambitious. When asked if they have plans for such a project, Oscar shook his head. 

So I gave Oscar my best life advice - if you bring the plan and make it easy, you will almost always get your way over people who have ideas but no plan. Because, at the heart of things, people will take the easiest path.  

So we sat down and looked through a catalog of wood working plans. We found a pretty easy plan for a bench which I could use in our entryway. We printed the plans which had the list of wood that you need to purchase as well as the cut list all outlined. Then followed step-by-step instructions with pictures on how to make the bench. We printed off the plans and Oscar took it to school the next day. 

Part way through the day, I got an email from Oscar which simply said, "They ate it like beasts!" 

It's the usual terminology I would use for group buy-in, but I get the idea. Sounds like I'll have a bench in my entryway in the near future! 

Alaska Driving Academy

In January, Mike decided to sign up for driving class to get his commercial driver's license. The class would last the whole month of February and would start at 6 am and end at 4:30 pm. Then he would have an hour "break" and then about 3 hours of homework each night. There was no rest on the weekends either as their plan had about 6 hours of studying on Saturday and Sunday. The course was intense, but Mike thrived. He excelled in all of his tasks, tests, and homework. He was thrilled to graduate with all of his endorsements and his license at the end of February. Next stop: Mike's truck stop! 

NHS Talent Show

Every year, the SoHi National Honor Society puts on a talent show for middle school and high school students; the show features live performances and art. Oscar worked hard and submitted three pieces - a pencil drawing of a moose, a sculpture of an angler fish, and a painting of a couple of figs. Violet has been hard at work creating "trading cards" for another competition, so she submitted her painting of avocados for the show. Their pieces looked amazing and Oscar was thrilled to win prizes for his angler fish and moose. Way to go! 

Wildlife in your backyard

Sometimes people ask if we ever see moose. The answer is, "Yes!"  Here, for instance, a moose decided to bed down right next to our front stairs. Another day, I received a picture of a caribou from Violet and Oscar who were walking home. I can see the corner of Oscar's coat which means, he was right out on the road by the kids. This is growing up in Alaska! 

Valentine's Day

This year, Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday - which is perfect. Mike and I were set to attend a group date with the Moms' group I attend. The kids were all set to have a romantic night at home when Violet abandoned her brothers to attend a masquerade ball with her friends. Mike and I had a blast at our date night and Violet had fun with her friends at the dance.... though I was a little skeptical of the dance when I saw two police cars in the parking lot when I picked her up. 

Winter at the Wildlife Refuge

This past Saturday was gorgeous. It was too good to stay in, so we headed to the Wildlife Refuge to take a walk. When we reached the lake, the kids discovered Olaf's cousin just waiting to be sculpted and launched into the world. I have to say, he's not nearly as cute as Olaf...