July 2019

July was a month full of adventures and good memories for our family. We started reaping the fruits of our garden (Clara was thrilled with her strawberry harvest), had a blast on the 4th of July, took one last quick visit to Albuquerque before Mom and Dad moved for Annabeth's baby blessing, and went on a family trip to Alaska.

A trip to the pet store to see the fish and other animals was totally enthralling for Macy. She loves her blub-blubs!

She also finally got brave enough to ride Penny the Pony at King Soopers.

Family fun at the splash pad and park.

My Grandpa Blacker sent me this from my Grandma Blacker, who just passed away in February. It was so tender and sweet to receive a gift from her and a note in her own handwriting.

Speaking of tender and sweet, Cole may be a tough kid, but I love that he still comes and cuddles with me in bed and will hold my hand. He and I have a special bond.

Lexi took a mini sewing class this summer, and has decided that's she's ready to get serious. She made this cute reversible bag for her piano music (with a little help from Mom).

These cute kids had so much fun finding beetles and bugs, and even a bull frog in our yard!

4th of July

Lexi has decided that the 4th of July is one of her favorite holidays. Decorating her scooter and riding in the kids parade ahead of the real one is becoming a tradition.

Macy was pretty excited about the parade as well.

Shaved Ice on the sidewalk after the parade was a fun treat.

Hugs from Macy...

We also went to the fireworks at the park downtown. There were lots of people, but it was a beautiful night. We have been rained out a couple times, but not this year.

Annabeth's Baby Blessing

The kids and I took a quick road trip down to Albuquerque for Shantae and Brandon's daughter's baby blessing. Isn't she the sweetest thing?!

The girls has so much fun playing with their cousin Lily while we were there.

This was the first time we got to meet Annabeth!

Dad couldn't find his children's rock climbing harness so he made one for Lexi so she could do the climbing wall. That little smilely thing has no fear! She made it all the way to the top and belayed down!

One last hike in the Sandia Mountains.

Alaska Trip

Everything from the bus ride from the parking, to the train ride to the terminal, to the airplane ride was exciting and for the kids, but especially Macy. We spent a week with my brother Russ, his wife Katie, and their two boys Bryce and Jake. We were also able to spend some time with Dave's Aunt and Uncle, Denise and Rod.

Lexi loved playing with Denali, Russ and Katie's dog.

Despite Clara being a couple years older than Jake, they became good buddies. I love this picture!

It was dip-netting season while we were up there, and Dave and Dad took a turn with Russell's net and both got a salmon. They declared victory after one run. The Kenai peninsula was absolutely beautiful.

Fishing with Uncle Rod

Our visit in Soldotna was definitely memorable. We made more than one trip to the "Moose is Loose" bakery, where they have the most divine donuts I have ever tasted, and we were able to see Denise and Rod. As you can see below, it did not take the kids long to warm up to Uncle Rod (Lexi is wearing his hat in this picture).

Dave's great aunt and uncle, Ida Marie and Lee, have a home on the river and they let us use their dock. We spent an afternoon trying to learn how to fish from the Master, without much success. Lots of good memories were made and we enjoyed getting to know each other though. Rod was particularly patient in trying to help Cole catch something, and he almost did many times, but he wasn't quite fast enough to keep anything on the line.

Rod also took Dave, Russ and my Dad out on a day trip halibut fishing. He was so generous to take them and spend the day with them. I am so sad that we did not get any really good photos with Rod and Denise! We were so grateful for their kindness and hospitality toward us while we were there.

Someone earlier had caught a few fish that were tied in the water, and Lexi was more than eager to smack them a few times with the beater stick (despite them already being dead).

Homer

Seward

We stayed at an Air bnb rental in Seward called "Eagle's Nest", and could actually see the Eagle's nest right out the kitchen window. If you look closely at this picture, you can see the momma bald eagle right next to the nest, and there were several babies inside it. We also had a couple moose sightings on the drive up. We definitely go our wildlife quota in!

Glacier Hike

After the Kenai peninsula we moved on toward Seward, where we hiked to a glacier. It was still a bit chilly, even in July, and we were definitely not used to the mosquitoes. The hike was worth it though. We had no idea glaciers were actually blue because of the mineral content. Another thing that surprised us was the river flowing out from underneath the glacier where it was melting. Apparently totally normally and nothing to be concerned about.

Another fun thing we did was a wildlife cruise out of Seward. The water was calm and beautiful, it wasn't raining, and we saw lots of wildlife, including puffins, seal lions, otters, orcas, lots of birds, and a mountain goat. It could not have been better!

The little tiny black and white birds are Puffins, Cole's very favorite.

This was similar to the boat we were on.

Orca Whales

Glacier Bay

The cruise was a lot for Bryce...

The aftermath of our tip! Haha. Cole never naps, but he was so exhausted from all the traveling and adventures that he conked out in the middle of the day after we got home.