Kenai River--Drifter's Lodge and Upper Kenai Trail

The Kenai River is known  for its salmon fishing. The largest salmon ever recorded came from the Kenai River in 1985--at 97 pounds! The first time I saw this gorgeous river, I decided instantly it is one of the most beautiful spots on Earth. Carving its way through firs and birch, teeming with wildlife, and the most crystal blue water I have ever seen in a river.

We went down on Friday night to Cooper Landing, the first little community along the Kenai River. We were able to stay in cabins--with real beds, shower and a bathroom, and a kitchenette--at the Kenai River Drifter's Lodge. It was a very different experience to stay in comfort--we loved it! On Saturday morning we packed up and left for a hike.

This was the first time we put these "L-Bow" gloves on David. They have a sleeve attached that reaches clear up to his shoulder--they go underneath his coat. I love these gloves! They actually stay on toddler hands. David tried pretty hard to get them off--but he was only successful once or twice in two hours.

We hiked along the "Upper Kenai River" trail and it was gorgeous.

I love this picture:

We were hiking with our friends, the Larsens, and they had two little boys in tow with them as well. So the hike was pretty simple. We really enjoyed the crisp autumn air, the views, the eagle and birds we saw and the hike itself wasn't as cold as it could have been for October!

We stopped on the banks of the river for a lunch break.

David had fun playing in the leaves.

This was our last big hoorah before the winter set in--so here's to waiting for next summer for more fun adventures.

Dear Pappy,

We took a little monkey to a Halloween party today.

 He tried his hand at becoming a cookie artist.

 Monkey David was in love with the sprinkles you sent from Amish Country.

 It takes concentration to pour them back and forth between container and lid.

 Some landed on the table, some on the floor, a few in his mouth . . .

but most of them landed on his plate. A few of those even stuck to the frosted cookies.

No doubt that our little monkey will be ready for more Halloween

sprinkles by the time next year's party rolls around.

"Hewp Daddy Dishes"

We have been without a working dishwasher for more than a year now. Quite frankly, I am tired of washing the dishes. I am tired of having counters with drying dishes, sinks full of dirty dishes, and the time it takes every day to stand at the sink and keep up with the dirty dishes. In recent weeks, Sam has stepped in a little more to help with the dish load at our house. After I make a meal, I am just too tired to tackle all of the dishes by myself.

A couple of times, Sam took over the sink and invited David to help him. David thought it was the best thing EVER! At least the best thing since sliced cheese. So on the way home from picking up Daddy from work, David would start making his demands known from the back seat: "Hewp Daddy Disses." Who am I to get in the way of such a request? David was hooked, Daddy was roped in, and I, well I was off the hook.

 See that eager face? (David's, not Daddy's. About this time, Daddy was wondering why he ever invited David to the splash . . . I mean the dishes party.)

Gotta keep the water stirred up. It's all part of the fun.

See the suds on his head? That about sums up the whole experience.

It's a party that David didn't want to miss.

Yowie Owie

David has the cutest way telling us about when he is hurt. In true David fashion of repeating words back to back, he has labeled his "owies" to be "yowie-owie." He will say it over and over, using a near-tearful voice and offering us the offended part of his body so we can kiss it better. The first few times he stuck his foot up to my mouth, I was a little confused. But now it's a normal ritual. We kiss it better and move on.

The other day he lost his balance and had a hard sit-down. I was down on the floor with him, so he started backing up to me with his bum in the air, saying "yowie owie, yowie owie". (Picture a backwards crab walk on hands and feet.) Once I cued in, I had to laugh. "Sorry buddy, I'm not kissing that yowie-owie."

We compromised with a kiss or two on the forehead instead.

Bean Blanket

Now that cooler weather is upon us, we are busy with lots of things that don't necessarily involve being outside. We will go outside occasionally, but the daily ventures outdoors have slowed down. This prompted me to pull out a few activity ideas that I have squirreled away for the change in season.

David loves his bean blanket! He buries treasure, measures and dumps, runs his hands through it--and when a few come off the blanket, we pause for "meen-uh" (cleanup).

We received old beans from someone else's food storage. I labeled them and put them in my food storage, but when I received them they were still in the burlap sack with an unkown purchase date. It was from an older couple (in their 90's) that was moving out of state--so truly, these beans could have been several years old. I decided they would serve us better as an activity than as a food source.

David approves.

Tay-tyou Mom-mom

This is an experience that happened just tonight. Two of my favorite things about David is how frequently he says thank you (Tay-tyou) and how he currently says my name.

The thank you is to die for--it melts my heart every time. At diaper changes, when I get him out of his carseat, every new bit of food, when we put shoes on, when I open the door to go outside. . . everything is greeted with a sweet little "Tay-tyou".

David's names for Sam and I have morphed a bit over the last several months. At first it was Dada. Then it was Dada and Mama. A few months ago it changed to Daddy and Mommy. Now he is back to Dada and I am his Mom-mom. I love it to pieces. And I love him to pieces.

Picture me in the kitchen tonight, trying to prepare a meal to break our fast. David is at my legs. Sam is gone to church meetings, late getting home. David is tired, clingy, and hungry. I am tired and hungry, just trying to  get the enchiladas in to the oven. I turn my back away from the enchilada pan to shred more chicken. Then I hear this in the sweetest voice:
D: Tay-tyou Mom-mom.
Me: (Without turning around, still shredding the chicken.) You're welcome, sweetheart. What are you thanking me for?
D: Mmmmm. Tay-tyou Mom-mom.

At this, I turn around. David has succesfully reached in to a pan of enchiladas and pulled one out for himself. He is covered in beans, chicken, cheese and sauce, just licking the last of it from the tortilla. The kitchen cupboards and floor have evidence that a person smaller than 3 feet helped himself to the enchiladas. Yes, he was standing on the floor when he reached inside that casserole dish. Sometimes I think he has go-go-gadget arms.

He was too darling, telling me thank you with enchilada covering him head to toe.

Thank you, sweet boy, for the memory. I will smile at it for a long time to come. (And next time, please don't reach that far without asking for help. You could have burnt yourself if they had already been in the oven.)

Ties

Every Sunday morning, we put a tie on David to wear to church.

Admittedly, sometimes it's hard to convince him to leave his tie on.

The best we can do is to show him that Daddy wears a tie, too.

In fact, Daddy wears a tie to work every day. 

Somehow that seems to do the trick, and David looks sharp as we walk out the door on Sunday morning.