tronnii2008

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

New year, new blog.

Join us at www.tronnii2009.blogspot.com.

Christmas Morning

2008-12-31T20:13:00.000-08:00

I love how the kids mug for the photos, or pretend to be playing with the toy and turn to smile for the camera. They crack me up.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-30T21:27:00.000-08:00

A few more seasonal photos

2008-12-30T21:13:00.000-08:00

Your Christmas Card

2008-12-24T18:31:00.000-08:00

Did you get it? You didn't? Maybe because we didn't send any out. But I thought you might enjoy seeing the process of trying to get a photo of the kids for the Christmas-card-that-never-was.

I considered sending out one of the following with the caption: "We hope you are as excited about the holidays as Nathan and Anika."

Todd got the dogs involved. The cat was nowhere to be found.

Nate the Great is 8

2008-11-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

OK, that last one is actually from Thanksgiving, but it was too cute to leave out. We had a great time at the water park for Nathan's birthday. And Anika in a bikini is too cute for words...

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

Nathan was Darth Vader for the FOURTH year running. Anika was a ladybug, with an indoor costume change to Spiderman when she got too warm....

Mommy was a bunny, and Daddy was "The Todd." See below.

Birthday Girls

2008-10-04T21:46:00.001-07:00

Happy Fall

2008-10-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

More Birthday

2008-10-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

Anika opening presents, blowing out candles..... she looks so big in these pictures.

And the first one - I found her on top of the changing table with the cat! It was his new napping place until I finally got rid of it this weekend. After 8 years, we don't really need a changing table any more....... boo hoo. My babies are growing up...

SHE'S THREE!!

2008-10-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANIKA!!

More Random Shots

2008-09-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, there were two more days of the state fair with photos...... but those photos are trapped in the other camera that doesn't like me. Eventually Todd will download those and I will post them.

Meanwhile, these should amuse you. I love how the cat watches TV with them.

State Fair - Day 1, Part 2

2008-08-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

We took so many photos the first day that I had to break it up into two posts. Here are some more.

State Fair Pictures - Part 1

2008-08-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

The kids were super-cute in their matching Carhartt Shirts and ripped jeans. And the bright orange made it easier to find them. :)

State Fair Take 11

2008-08-25T17:12:00.001-07:00

We hit the State Fair this weekend, a whopping 2 miles from our house. I've looked at the pictures, but haven't had a chance to upload them here yet. We had a great day, and only got rained on a tiny bit - so tiny it doesn't even count in my book. We did rides and ate cheese curds and pork chops on a stick. I took Anika down the GIANT SLIDE and we saw baby chicks. I was so tired when it was time to go home that I walked off without the stroller, and had to double-back and find it. Somebody stole our cotton candy while we were on a ride, but at least they didn't take my purse. :)

So, if you JUST CAN'T WAIT, maybe last year's state fair pictures will satisfy you for a few hours until I get to it.

Finally, some visitors from Kentucky!

2008-08-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

I know some of you are patiently waiting for pictures from our trips to Denali and Seward..... but this would require me to know where the camera is. :)

We had a fantastic time with our friends from Kentucky, who visited for a week. We hit Alaska HARD in six days. After their arrival on Saturday (two weeks ago...) we sent them to Talkeetna on Sunday, then we met them at the McKinley Creekside Cabins near Denali National Park. I loved the cabins, and would have liked to spend more time there. The food in the restaurant was outstanding, and it's worth stopping there even if you don't spend the night. (The wait for a table of 8 was kind of long, though. They haven't yet caught up with their own popularity, and are not extremely organized.) Our waitress was very sweet and even tolerated a crabby Nathan ..... he later went back and apologized.

We did the eight hour (yes we are crazy) shuttle bus into Denali National Park on Monday, and although it drizzled a little it was a beautiful day. We even saw Denali (Mt. McKinley) from inside the park, which has never happened before. It was really beautiful, and the kids were great (all FOUR of them! Ages 11, 7, 7 and 2 1/2). The first meltdown was in the car on the way home.

We went to Hatcher Pass on Tuesday and I was so happy to be able to take our friends up to Summit Lake.... the pass is only open for a few months in the summer due to snow. Their kids were THRILLED to see snow.

Wednesday we piled all 8 of us in a rented Tahoe and set out for Seward. A brief hike to Exit Glacier, then we were off to the Seward Sealife Center. We spent the night at an adorable bed and breakfast, then had dinner at a great restaurant Todd and I had never been to before. It is worth going to Seward just to eat at Yoly's.

Thursday brought a brief walking tour of Seward, then a 5 hour cruise with Kenai Fjords Tours, and of course the 3+ hour drive back to Anchorage. We stopped in Anchorage and ate at..... Taco King. OK, not the high point of their trip, but we were starving. After much laundry and packing Thursday night, our friends departed Anchorage bound for a wedding in Seattle on Friday morning. Rumor has it they had fun at the wedding, and made it safely home with all their luggage.

I wished they could have stayed a few more days. When two couples get together with their four kids for a week, and everybody is still friends at the end of the week.... that's perfection. No trips to the emergency room, no broken bones, and only one person threw up all week! Good times.

Pictures coming soon.

Random Silliness

2008-08-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

July 20th.

Fourth of July

2008-08-17T19:35:00.001-07:00

These pictures also were lurking in the old digital camera..... festive. I think these actually were taken on the fifth of July. Our 11th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, Todd planted 8 trees. Not 11. There is no method to our madness.

The Other Camera....

2008-08-17T19:22:00.003-07:00

I forgot we have two digital cameras! These pictures are from Lake Lucille in May. If that moose head looks familiar... you may have seen the photo of Todd and me taken there just two short hours before my water broke with Nathan.

Lilacs

2008-08-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

Oops, there were more

2008-06-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

The last of the Georgia pics

2008-06-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

This last one was taken right before Anika peed on the floor at the Air Museum....... she decided she was potty trained and didn't need a diaper a few minutes earlier.

Georgia Aquarium

2008-06-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

Getting pictures of these kids is like herding cats.... and of course, it's not a trip to an aquarium without a kid falling in a heap on the floor..... somewhere I have a picture of Nathan at the Seward aquarium in exactly the same pose as Anika, below!

Friends

2008-06-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

While we were in Georgia we had the good fortune to meet up with friends we went to China with.... their little girl is from Hunan, just like Anika. The five kids got along great, and we had such a nice visit. We spent a day at a wildlife refuge, which was perfect... The kids were impressed with the neighborhood pool, and they had a super-cool swing INSIDE their house.... it was better than Disneyland. Well, almost. :)

One More Trip to the Beach

2008-06-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

We took one last trip to the beach before leaving Tybee. Did I mention all the dead jellyfish?

Nathan - ever the scientist - crashed a field trip. You can see him sitting in the foreground of that group picture...... in the green shorts. :)

Nathan also insisted on being buried in sand... note the strategically-placed sea shell.

Turtles

2008-06-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

Tybee Island had a turtle theme going on.... not unlike the salmon in Anchorage. Lots of turtles all over the island, painted in different themes. The kids had fun hunting for them all week. We nearly had whiplash a few times when someone would spy a turtle going 50 mph, and we would all try to look and see....... (WE were going 50 mph.... not the turtles.)

Fort Someplace

2008-06-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

It's been so long since our vacation ended....... now I can't remember where we went! We went to one of those cool Forts... Dad, help me out with the name.

At one point Anika went running across the quad yelling "Papa Wayne! Papa Wayne!"

My kids are so cute I can't stand it.

Check out Anika in the 2nd one down....

"Papa Wayne! Papa Wayne!"

These last two were taken after a delightful dinner at Fanny's.... we walked out to the end of the pier. It was WINDY, and the boys were amazed when they saw a fisherman pull in a stingray.

More Vacation

2008-06-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

yes, I know, I never finished uploading the pictures of our vacation.

One day Todd and Nathan and I rented a kayak and went out.... we went all the way to an abandoned lighthouse, and dolphins swam right up to the kayak and stuck their heads out to say hello to us. It was SO COOL. I didn't get good pictures of the dolphins, but they were so cute.

Day 3 - Nathan Surfs

2008-06-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

OK, maybe you wouldn't call it surfing, but he was IN THE OCEAN. He had a great time.

Tybee Lighthouse and Cats

2008-06-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

We climbed the 170+ steps to the top of the Tybee Lighthouse. It was a scary view from the top. There are a LOT of cats on Tybee Island, and Nathan tried to befriend all of them........ he wanted a photo with every cat we met.

The Beach - Day 2

2008-06-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

I thought I was getting a great shot of Anika in front of the Tybee lighthouse.... I didn't see that post in the way.

Crab Shack, Baby

2008-06-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

Our first night on Tybee Island we at at The Crab Shack. It was yummy seafood, and while we waited for a table, the kids fed the alligators. Good times.

Tybee Island

2008-06-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

We spent a week on Tybee Island, near Savannah. We were there with my dad, stepmom, my sister and her two kids........... we had a great time.

Both kids stayed on shore the first day at the beach...

Georgia!

2008-06-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

By popular demand, I am posting pictures of our trip........... The kids were SO good on the 7+ hour plane trip from Anchorage to Atlanta. Nathan was thrilled with the built-in TV's in every seat of the Delta plane.

We spent a couple of days at my dad's house. The kids loved the back yard swings.... then you can see how good they were in the car on the way to the beach...

Today - Musk Ox Farm

2008-05-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

A Mother's Day tradition..... a trip to the musk ox farm to see the babies.... it was WINDY. I think Anika looks kind of like a South Park character.

Finally, I am caught up.

Ice Cream

2008-05-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

The season of warm-ish weather and ice cream has returned.....

Piano

2008-05-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Note Anika's hair.

I like these in part because the dogs are looking in from outside.

Cuteness

2008-05-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

April Snow Storm

2008-05-11T19:39:00.001-07:00

We had a freak two feet of snow on a Friday at the end of April. It all melted in the next few days, but not before Todd and the kids built a giant snowman. Nathan wanted him to hold a beer can, but we talked him into a Coke, instead.

The whole works tipped over about two hours later.

April

2008-05-11T19:32:00.001-07:00

The first pic is Anika in her bed with my stuffed dog, Homer. I think my dad gave me Homer about 33 years ago.

The rest are Anika with her pigtails. As if she could get cuter.

Easter

2008-05-11T19:26:00.001-07:00

Most of the Easter pics are trapped in a zip file and I can't seem to upload them to Blogger....... but I knew you would enjoy these. Todd and both kids came down with the flu Easter weekend, so there weren't many photos...... Good times.

More pics from February

2008-04-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm a little behind on the blogging.

Here are some shots of Tabetha from right after the cruise, as well as the kids in their TV watching poses...... Anika likes to imitate Nathan. It is soooooooo cute.

Formal Night

2008-02-15T21:29:00.001-08:00

Our photographer, Alicia, is at the bottom! We met Bob and Alicia several days into the trip - a great couple from Spokane.

Other Random Cruise Pics

2008-02-15T21:14:00.000-08:00

I may never get used to pictures of me with short hair. We tried out a new, tiny digital camera on this trip, and we're not as happy with the photos as those from our other camera..... We didn't figure out the red-eye reduction until the last day!

Puerto Vallarta

2008-02-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

On day 5, we actually went our separate ways for the day! Todd went sailing, and I took a canopy tour. I ordered a video of me zip-lining just to prove that I actually did it. If I can figure out how to post it when it arrives, I will!

After our excursions we met back at the ship, had a snack, sat by the pool for awhile, then decided to explore Puerto Vallarta. We walked on the beach, then down the main street.... we had a tense moment when security at the port wanted picture ID to get back to the ship, and all we had were our cruise boarding passes....... but all was well.

That night at dinner we met Bob and Alicia - another great couple.

Mazatlan

2008-02-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

Our second stop on the cruise was Mazatlan. Todd and I took a tour up into the Sierra Madres, had lunch an an "authentic" (read: "Princess authorized") Mexican restaurant, saw a couple of cute little towns with beautiful old churches, and visited the studio of an artist named Emi who makes these crazy masks out of leather.....he did a little performance for us wearing one of his masks. We bought one for Nathan.

Cabo San Lucas

2008-02-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

Todd and I had a great time on our cruise. We left San Diego and our first stop was Cabo. We went on a great whale watching/snorkle cruise, then had lunch at Cabo Wabo. This is when we met Sue and Russ (hopefully photos of them to follow!)

January

2008-02-02T21:10:00.001-08:00

January tends to be a slow month for pictures..... but I'm sure you'll all enjoy these.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our new blog for 2008.

If you're looking for pictures of our adorable kids, (and occasionally - us), this is the place. Bookmark us and visit often.