Alyeska Tram

About 45 minutes south of Anchorage is the only ski resort in the world where you can be skiing and see the ocean at the same time. We took Memorial Day to head up to Alyeska resort. It also happened to be the last day of the season open to skiing--on May 31st. Blake, eat your heart out. And come visit as quickly as you can.

View of the resort as we climbed 2,000 feet:

David was happy to be along for the ride:

We looked around, and saw the other side of the mountain.

And the Cook Inlet below:

We introduced Capri to fried, battered Halibut. Yum.

David did some exploring on his own:

And of course he had to figure out how much of himself could fit through the crack at the bottom. Mom was glad it was just a finger or two.

Then we climbed back on the tram. We were surrounded by ski bums and this view:

Every now and then, we have to pinch ourselves and remember that we live in a real wonderland. This was one of those days.

This Just In . . .

While we were away, we had David's one-year old pictures taken along with a few family pictures, too.

MJRay Photography is an incredibly talented gal in the Rexburg/Idaho Falls area. Here's a peek at her good work (and our cute son):

Pet Smart

We took David to Pets Mart to introduce him to a few animal friends.

We caught just a few pictures before the manager told us that photos were not allowed in the pet store. Oops! David loved the fish, reptiles, birds and furry creatures. He really liked seeing the dogs that were visiting the store with their owners because they weren't in a cage.

Someday, I'm sure David will be a proud pet owner. At this season in our lives, we're happy to just be spectators.

Our Cutie

Just a few random shots I pulled from our camera.

The dandelions in this picture remind me of two things. One is that I need to put weed and feed on the lawn. The other is to tell you about how it has only been recently that dandelions have made their way to Alaska (just a couple of decades ago, there weren't any--from what the locals tell me). Now that they are here, they are making themselves right at home. The land of the midnight sun grows some very tall dandelions. My goal this summer is to find one dandelion that is as tall as David. I already saw one, but it was another little boy's treasure, and I didn't want to steal the thunder. So we're on a quest for another 30 inch dandelion. Prepare to be amazed--I was amazed the first time I saw such a tall one.

Sunny Day in the Park

During the summer here in Alaska, there is a rule of thumb: If the sun is shining, drop everything and go play in it.

So we did.

Roommates

My sister Capri is living with us this summer and we love having her here! She shares a room with David, and has been good about his midnight jabberings when he sometimes wakes up (unbeknownst to us in the room next door--but I think it's the midnight sun that has interrupted his sound sleep).

David took right to her, and he quickly started pronouncing her name as "Eeeee!" Then one day it turned to "Pah-pri." He stretches and scrunches his whole face when he pronounces those two syllables--and he'll sing her name over and over whether or not she's around to hear it.

At a recent BBQ, she was even willing to keep track of David's hat once he got tired of it. What a good Aunt!

How cute is that! She had this on for the last hour or so of the picnic--and every time I turned around, she was having a serious conversation with an adult while her hat looked like this. I'm not sure how anyone took her seriously--it made me giggle every time I saw it.

First Haircut

It was all hands on deck for David's first hair cut.

If David dislikes anything, it is the feeling of being pinned down.

My hands on his head resembled this feeling to him, and he was as good of a sport as he could manage while we tried to trim a few fly-aways.

First we had to get the "first curl" lock of hair:

He was trying to look up to see what was happening at the back of his head, squirm away from my hands or push them away the entire time--but surprisingly he didn't cry during the haircut.

We tried a few distractions--this sucker was a one-lick wonder. He tried it once, then he kept throwing it down any time we would hand it back to him after that initial taste.

The fishing pole we brought back as a plane toy worked for a few minutes while he tried to ignore my hands on his head.

And he even humored us and did a few "airplane arms" on demand--probably hoping that something he did would win him his freedom.

After a while, he kept begging for Aunt Capri to get him out of the chair.

When that didn't work, he worked on begging Daddy for help.

The thing we forgot was a before and after picture--but suffice it to say that the long hairs got trimmed.

We love our handsome boy!