Grandma Joyce

Those of you who have followed the blog over the past few years are familiar with Yuri's grandma Joyce (Rory and Massie's great-grandma).  I am sorry to report that shortly before Christmas cancer took this very special woman from us.  Her passing has left a large void in our lives but we are thankful for the memories and the many pictures of our kids with their beloved great-grandma.

On December 11, 2011, Joyce Delores Anderson passed from this life after a 2 ½ year battle with liver cancer while resting peacefully at the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. Our beloved Joyce was born in Sacramento, California on November 16, 1931 to Charles (Chuck) Ruffner Garvey and Delores (Nonie) Pendleton. She spent the days of her youth on the beaches of Santa Cruz, California and was a vibrant and beautiful California girl through and through.

In 1948, Joyce's adventurous father moved her and her siblings to Fairbanks where he had secured employment in a restaurant and bar business. Her first job in Fairbanks was as a sales clerk for J.Vic Brown Jewelers on 2^nd Avenue.  Soon after her spring arrival, Joyce met the Anderson brothers, T. Garth Anderson and her future husband and partner in life, W. H. “Bud” Anderson. The Anderson brothers owned the first Harley dealership in Fairbanks and their active lifestyles quickly drew Joyce’s attention.

Joyce loved target shooting. One day, Garth borrowed Bud’s new 1950 Studebaker and he and Joyce drove to the hills. After a number of rounds of target practice, Joyce absentmindedly laid the .22 rifle on the front seat. The gun accidentally went off, narrowly missing Garth, and blew a hole in Bud’s new car. They quickly headed back to town to find Bud so Joyce could apologize to him. Apparently, Bud got over it. They married in Santa Cruz on November 11, 1950.

In those early Fairbanks years, Joyce worked alongside her mother-in-law, Annette H. Anderson, caring for a crew of hungry miners at the Miller House in the Circle Mining District.

There was nothing Joyce enjoyed more than caring for and playing with children. Whether it was the children in her family, friends or strangers' families, Joyce always made each child feel special with a big smile, a huge hug, and a kiss that made everything better. She was their biggest fan and attended every event. She always had a closet full of toys and games and her kitchen was always well-supplied with food and snacks. Her employment with the Fairbanks School District as an Administrative Secretary  in the 1970's and early 80's was a perfect fit.

Joyce lived a full, active life. Her fun spirit was contagious. She enjoyed many sports and the companionship of good friends. She was fiercely yet graciously competitive. Besides golf, bowling, curling, tennis, gardening and cards, Joyce loved trap shooting and was a proud member of the NRA.

Most of all, Joyce loved the game of golf. Those who knew her agree that nobody had a prettier swing. Joyce made many lifelong friends playing the sport, both in Alaska and Arizona.

Joyce always put others before herself. She was a terrific gift and card giver, often without a reason. She was gentle, kind and understanding, but never hesitated to be blatantly honest. Joyce will be missed by countless family and friends; her kindness along with her pure, unrelenting passion for life have made us all better people.

Halloween Fun & Great-Grandma Joyce Turns 80!

Winter is here.  We've had thirty below temperatures in Fairbanks for over a week now - needless to say, we've been spending a lot of time inside.  The past month has been filled with many activities , as you will see from the pictures below. Putting this blog together is a great reminder of how lucky we are to have such great friends and family.  We are very fortunate to have you all in our lives.

Angelina's Birthday Party

Rory's best friend, Angelina, recently celebrated her 3rd birthday.  I forgot to bring my camera to the party so this IPhone shot is the best I could do.  These two have been together at "school" in the same classrooms since they were 4 months old. 

Rory enjoying the lollipop from Angelina's Dora the Explorer birthday party.  Looks delicious!

Halloween - 
Pumpkin Carving Party with the Burks

We were invited over to the Burks' fun, family pumpkin carving party.  As always, Megan goes all out ! She had her garage ready for the pumpkin carnage that was soon to come; all the tools we needed (including a drywall saw) and lot of templates to choose from.  A fun time was had by all, especially Rory, as you can see from the picture below.

Group shot of some of the gang...Massie and I had already left the party at this point in the party ... 

Halloween Party

We were invited to an amazing Halloween party at the Bast residence the weekend before Halloween.  Suzan & John Bast were wonderful hosts and their home was warm and inviting.  They  absolutely went all out! I've never been to a party this over-the-top before (in a good way, I assure you).  They had a sit-down dinner for 50 adults and I'd estimate that there were 40 kids also in attendance.  Their garage was set up for the kids with separate craft, food and play/dance areas. 

Below, the girls are all lined up in the kids area preparing for "pinata fun" in the living room.  See Rory right up front?  She was the youngest in the group and therefore got the coveted first spot in line.

Moving onto the living room - below is a picture, taken from the balcony, of the kids preparing for pinata  number 1 of 3. Once the pinatas were busted open, total chaos ensued...not kidding...these kids make crocodiles going after a kill look meek.

Princess Rory and her Rockford Peach mother.

 This is the first time Yuri and I have dressed up together for Halloween.  In fact, it's the first time I've dressed up since High School.  We had a great time.

Halloween Day Finally!

Rory wanted to be a purple princess for Halloween so we bought a party dress at Value Village, tore it apart, and then added purple gems and tulle to make it into a princess dress.  To top it off, we gave her a crown and a princess wand.  She is an adorable little girl.

For those of you unfamiliar with trick-or-treating in Alaska, we don't get to run up and down the streets wearing only our costumes.  In addition, we have to put on snow suits, boots, hats and gloves underneath.  Below is our princess after putting her snow gear on...still adorable.

Rory and her dad ready for trick-or-treating.

Although Massie didn't dress up for Halloween this year, her daycare did have a "crazy hat" day.  So, we topped her off with an old-fashion Scottish golfing cap - don't you just want to eat her up?!

Grandma Joyce Turns 80

Linda threw a party to celebrate Joyce's birthday.  As you can see from the picture below, a lot of Joyce's family and friends showed up to help celebrate the big day.  We had a wonderful time and, as always, we enjoy spending time with Grandma Joyce (especially Rory who just adores her - see Rory sitting on Joyce's lap in the picture below). 

Linda preparing the cake for cutting...Rory on her tiptoes trying to get a good look at what is going on with that cake. Can you tell that Rory wants a piece?

Finally...CAKE!

Rory got to spend some time with her cousin, Estelle, at the party.  Below is Rory looking a little perturbed that Estelle is sitting on her art project.  She's not a very patient child.

Massie fell fast asleep at the party.  This is the first and only time I've seen her suck her thumb.

Rory and I made chocolate spoons (with purple and green chocolate) a few weekends ago.  For those of you who haven't used them, you stir them into warm milk and voila, you have chocolate milk.  Below Rory and her dad do a "cheers" with their spoons.  Look at Rory beaming up at her dad...she sure does love him.

After stirring their warm milk for a while we now have green and purple chocolate milk...yummmm...I think.

Massie Eating Solids

We have been trying to get Massie to eat solids for about a month now.  Every time we try she gives us a look of total disgust and spits out her food.  Below is a picture of Rory trying to feed Massie, along with Massie's reactionary look.

No interest in eating the food...

Rory & Massie
Rory loving on her little sister.

Massie

Massie is now over five months old - I'm not sure where the time is going.  She's a vocal baby who has a special sparkle in her eye and loves to be right in the middle of the action. 

Unlike Rory, Massie loves her Johnny Jump Up.

Next month...We officially get a new family member (hint...Bruce is officially Rory's cousin), Thanksgiving gluttony and Rory celebrates her 3rd Birthday.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  

Parties Galore

Winter is on its way.  Over the last few days the snow has been falling making the outdoors beautiful and the roads slippery.  I love this time of year - I can finally wear sweaters again!

We are busy planning what Rory will wear for Halloween (purple princess...how did I get a child that wants to be a "purple princess"?????) and her Minnie/Mickey Mouse birthday party. Rory is turning into a spirited and very chatty little girl who loves to dance (she's got rhythm) and draw pictures.  Massie is a sweet little girl who loves to smile and is happiest when she is dancing along side her big sister.

Enjoy the pictures below...we've had a happy and busy last month and are so happy to share the pictures with you all.

Bud Anderson's 82nd Birthday

We love a party and what a better reason than to celebrate Bud's 82nd year on this planet.  Below is a picture of Rory, next her her great-grandfather, anxiously awaiting the chance to get her hands on one of those yummy looking cupcakes.

Jesse's 30th Birthday
It's hard to believe that "baby Jesse" is 30.  We had a fun party at my folks' house...fun for all ages!

Massie with her dad...she loves to be in the middle of the action!

Group shot before the adult pinata was annihilated...the only person missing from the picture is my mom who was taking the photo.  Look at Yuri with his arms full and I'm not even close by to help (bad mom).

Jesse takes one and only one shot at the pinata.  Look closely, you'll see lots of little bottles shooting out from Sponge Bob's head.  It's important to note that we had a pinata for the kids as well (we didn't make them watch us have fun and not offer them anything!).

Sara hanging with Sponge Bob and holding her loot.  What a cute couple...she makes him look good!

Always loving a party - Rory and Piper hamming it up for the camera

Sadler, Heather, Jesse, Petra, Rodger and Megan...a good shot of all of them!

Checking out each others loot, like a bunch of children, after the pinata met its demise.

Sparkling & Bubbly Party

I am part of a neighborhood wine/dinner group called WWWW (wild women who wine in Westgate...at least I think that's what we are called). September was my month (with my mom of course) to host the party and our theme was "sparkling and bubbly".  Anyone who knows my mom and me know that we LOVE champagne and sparkling wine so this theme was perfect for us!  Below are a few shots from the party - clockwise from top left: Party favors table, menu, the WWWW group (minus me, the photographer), and one of the decor pieces...a custom glass champagne made by my mom.

 

Linda's 60th Birthday Party

The night after the WWWW party we threw a 60th birthday party for Yuri's mom, Linda.  We had lanterns, flowers and pictures of Linda everywhere.  Unfortunately pictures don't do it justice - it was beautiful and Linda had a great time celebrating her birthday with friends and family. 

Massie fell soundly asleep in the arms of her great-grandma Joyce early into the party.

Leila's Birthday Party

One of Rory's daycare friends, Leila, had a birthday party and as we know, Rory loves a party!  The picture below is of Rory blowing Leila's candle out before Leila even got a chance.  Perhaps I should have been keeping a closer eye on her instead of taking the picture.  Regardless, we re-lit the candle and Leila got her wish.

Visits with Friends

I was in Anchorage a few weeks ago for work and was able to stop by to see my friend, Lanie, on the way to the airport.  Her son Brecken was born a few weeks after Massie and this was the first opportunity I've had to meet the little guy.  He has a wonderful disposition and is a very lucky little boy to have such a wonderful mom.  

A note to our Anchorage friends -  Take lots of pictures of Lanie with Brecken...she mentioned that this might be one of the only photos she has of her with him.

Yuri was out of town (again) for HIPOW.  So, I went with the next best date, Ms. (Southern) Ruby Riddle.  She and I were chauffeured by my folks and had a nice time eating, looking at auction items and people watching.  It might look like I have a spider on my head but it's not...it's a super cute headpiece made of feathers.  I really should have been born 60 years ago...I love the fashion.

Our good friends Betty and Bruce drove up the highway to visit and to meet Massie for the first time.  It was great to catch up and for the girls to spend time with them.  We look forward to their next visit!

 

Potty Training

Well, we were putting it off.  People were telling us "don't rush her...she'll do it at her own pace" and "she's got lots of time to learn".  Overnight these same people started saying "she needs to be potty trained" and "what is going on with her...she needs to start learning".  Well, the night after Linda's birthday party we got serious and within two days our usually stubborn girl was potty trained.  It was amazing how well she did...we are so proud (not to mention how happy we are to not buy her diapers anymore!).

Below is Rory reading the Economist (not kidding)...she is her father's daughter.

 

Rambunctious Rory
Here is Rory with her cousin Estelle.  Hmmmm...Rory is turning into a little poser.

 

One of the last days of jumping on the trampoline outside.  It is now in our garage where it  will probably get a lot of use when it is 40 below.

Rory showing off our home grown artichokes.  It's pretty cool that they grew so well here, especially since our summer wasn't particularly warm.

 

Grandma Linda bringing the girls on a "buggy" ride.

Mesmerizing Massie
Here is Massie with her cousin Estelle.

Have you ever seen such a look of defiance in a kid...Estelle has the best expressions!

Our talkative little bug...

Gen Schok meeting Massie for the first time.

Great-grandma Joyce doing what she loves to do, hold the baby.

Sitting up on her own...It's just a matter of time before she is jumping all over this couch.

 

She is just so darned cute!  We love her to pieces.

Enjoy the Fall season!  We'll catch up next month with Halloween pictures.
Love - Syd, Yuri, Rory & Massie