Pirate Party

Last Saturday Sydney got invited to her friend's pirate birthday party. She was very excited! She made a really cute pirate and like playing at the beach. The kids got to break open a treasure chest pinata and have lots of yummy food. My favorite part was having more stuff to add to our dress up box now :). Wynn got to taste his first watermelon... I think the picture speaks for itself about how much he liked it.

We'll have to work on getting her scope the right direction

Scenery - East Glacier Trail

On Saturday we hiked our longest hike yet with the kids! Andy carried Sydney and I carried Wynn. We hiked up the east side of the glacier to AJ falls and then the lookout about Nugget Falls which I've posted about before and back around/down. The hike was pretty steep with a lot of switchbacks on the way up and tons of stairs on the way down. Its a 3.5 mile loop trail and provides great views of the glacier, Mendenhall Lake, about a dozen waterfalls, and the valley out to the ocean. It was fun to finally get some elevation from hiking a look around. It only took us about 1 hr and 45 minutes, but I think we had just about reached Wynn's limit by the time we were back down, so we'll have to leave the even longer treks for next summer I suppose. Hooray for our newest hike though! 

This is the top of Nugget Falls but the trail was too far back to see the raging torrent shown in the picture below (from last year)...

Herbert Glacier Bike Ride

Last Tuesday, I took Sydney on a bike ride with some other ladies we know on the Herbert Glacier Trail. It was our first time using the bike trailer since we have been up in Juneau. I was too nervous to try it with both Sydney and Wynn in the trailer on such a long ride because they don't do so well in close quarters together. Sydney doesn't appreciate Wynn always wanting to touch her when she's within reach so much.... Anyway, Daddy and a friend helped watch Wynn while we were gone. I really appreciated Andy getting the bike and trailer all fixed up and running well that morning before we left. I could just barely fit everything in my car and we had to take Wynn's car seat out to make it work, so we'll have to find a way to carry everything if we ever want to go as a family. The trail was nice and wide for most of the ride and fairly even. It felt so good to ride again. I miss training for my triathlons and getting variety to my workouts. I also could feel the result of my lack of training but enjoyed getting a different good workout up and down the trail's hills. The lake we rode to was about 4-5 miles in. We stopped and had lunch and then headed back. Sydney's favorite part was picking the blueberries around the lake with the other kids. It was nice to get out and do something different and I think Sydney really enjoyed the alone time we got to spend together on the drive out there and along the trail. Hopefully, we'll get a few more rides in this summer while we still can :D!\

Change of Heart

Had to write a little experience from today down... This afternoon I was feeling really tired and nauseous for some reason. We had been out all morning so I wanted to stay home the rest of the day and give them kids some down time. So while I was laying on the floor trying to play with kids, moping/counting down how many minutes until quiet time and nap, I suddenly had a change of heart. Sydney asked me why I was laying down and I told her I didn't feel good... she ran away and disappeared. Just then Wynn came scooting up, excited that I was finally at his eye level, and greeted me with a big Wynn smile and immediately started grabbing/touching my face. This is Wynn's signature happy-to-see-you move. Then Sydney reappeared with her doctor kit and proceeded to help me "feel all better mom." As I lay on the ground with both kids happily playing beside me, I couldn't help but smile and feel ashamed at my boredom and poutiness moments before. I really do love staying home with my kids and already dread the day when they are no longer around to make the world go round.

Shinsels Visit

Maxine and Vic got to spend a whole week with us last week and it was a blast! We had good weather most of the time too. It only rained the last day and a half. All the Shinsels' other visits have been brief or during the middle of winter, so we finally got to show them some Juneau! Wynn decided to start scooting while they were here, and Sydney finally got going again on potty training just as they were about to leave. We got to check whale watching off Maxine's bucket list, eat at some of our favorite restaurants, see the scenery, and enjoy playing at home. We also woke the kids up at 1130 PM on the night of the third to take them downtown and watch the fireworks at midnight! The kids did really well and went back to sleep when we got home just fine. We all enjoyed the parade downtown the next morning, and later on the 4th, we went to a fish feed at the church and Sydney rode her trike by herself for the first time! It was really nice to have them to hang out with in the evenings while Andy was at work during their visit. Maxine even helped me make a waterproof picnic blanket to take on our hikes with us. Sydney had a blast and both kids were obviously missing the company the past few days. My favorite things about when the Shinsels visit are how much fun Maxine and I have - we always find something to laugh about - how easy going they are (time just flies by as a result), and watching Vic teach the kids things all sorts of things and get excited as they learn. It is obvious how much they love their grandchildren and I'm grateful for that. Thanks for the visit Maxine and Vic. :D

Beach day

This a few weeks back, but we got a couple nice days in a row back then and spent one afternoon at the beach! Sydney loves the beach and I always wish we could stay longer. Wynn got to taste his first sand ;) and Sydney had fun playing with her friend in the sand. I even got a sunburn! It was a great afternoon.