Yuri is back in Juneau for session and we miss him a lot. Luckily, we have seen him every weekend since the beginning of session; now that we are at the half way mark, it appears that we will make it through another session unscathed.
Rory is growing up so fast - she can sing her ABC's all by herself and is able to count to 20 (although it helps if there are stairs as she most likes to count when taking the stairs). We are so lucky to have such a happy & healthy little girl!
The following pictures document our happenings over the last month and a half – I hope you enjoy.
Juneau
Soon after the beginning of session, Rory and I took the trek down to Juneau to visit Yuri and to spend some time visiting with Rory’s Grandma Karen and Grandpa Sid. We had a wonderful trip and I left Rory behind to hang with the grandparents for a week.
Rory playing with her Aunt Brooke and Grandma Linda.
Baking banana bread with Grandma Karen.
"Wine Sunday" at the Juneau Morgan household. This was a tradition started by Yuri's grandparents, Erna and Sid Sr., and I am happy to report that the tradition lives on. Below (L to R) - Yuri's father, Sid, Uncle Rod, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Sherie and Uncle Lee.
While in Juneau, Yuri, Rory and I headed out to the Shrine of St. Therese where Yuri's grandparents' ashes are interred. Below is the view from Sid and Erna's resting place...there is probably not a more beautiful spot on earth!
Lenka Duslivoa Concert
I’ve mentioned our friend Martin Janecky, the glass blower, in this blog before. Well, he and his girlfriend, Lenka Duslivoa, have been able to spend quite a lot of time in Fairbanks this winter. Back in the Czech Republic Lenka is a bona fide rock star. Before she departed for home, she wanted to do something for my folks and so she put on a concert for a small group of friends and family. Lenka is a tremendous musician and artist and a good time was had by all.
Lenka performs for a small group at the Warwick Glass Studio.
Lenka posing with the children in attendance ...these girls are so darned cute. They showered Rory with lots of love and attention throughout the night.
Yuri’s Birthday Gift
Yuri didn’t want to do anything spectacular for his birthday so we stayed in and celebrated his continued transition into his “late thirties”. The fact of the matter is that he still looks super young (heck, he got carded going into an R-rated movie just two years ago); more importantly, he still acts super young as you will see from the pictures below. Here he is with one of his birthday gifts.
Yuri and Rory playing with Yuri's new toy helicopter. For those in the neighborhood, you should expect to see Yuri and Bill Bailey out this summer racing their helicopters...they might even start a helicopter club (kidding...I hope).
Okay...this is how serious Yuri is about this helicopter: here he is "calibrating" his helicopter. Please note the metal case open on the counter - this is the case Yuri uses to store his helicopter. Seems like overkill, but apparently that darned helicopter is very fragile and can't be stored without a special case (Bill...he loves the gift)!
Ice Skating
Several months ago, I bought Rory her first pair of (pink) ice skates. Those of you who know me know that I love to ice skate and I was certain that Rory would feel the same. Well, the time came to get her on the ice…below is documentation of her first skating experience.
Here is Rory with her grandad Andy. She showed no interest in skating when we first got to the rink; this was the perch from which she watched Yuri and I skate for the first 15 minutes.
Then she moved to the stands to hang out with her great grandparents Bud and Joyce and her Grandma Judy and Grandpa Andy. How many kids have this many people show to watch what might be a kids first time on the ice?
Glass blowing friends Carrie and Pat showed up to join in the skating festivities. To their right (looking like he is holding Pat's hand) is Yuri showing off his moves.
Finally she shows some interest in joining in the fun...here is her dad putting on her skates.
On the ice with her dad - note her cool camo helmet...she picked it out and I am thrilled that it is not pink (unlike everything else she picks out).
Snow, Snow, Snow
We got a ton of snow over the past few weeks and Rory, Yuri and I spent some time outside enjoying it.
Yuri shoveling out Steve's truck after getting it stuck plowing our driveway...we Fairbanksans aren't used to getting this much snow.
Cat in the Hat
I volunteer with an organization called the Imagination Library. This is an organization started by Dolly Parton to provide books to children from birth to 5 years of age. Through the program, children receive a book every month in the mail (60 total); it is intended to get children excited about books and to get parents reading to their children. As one of our fundraisers, the local McDonalds invited some of the Imagination Library volunteers to work in their stores for a few hours in exchange for a portion of their profits. It coincided with Dr. Seuss's birthday so I decided to make a few cat in the hat hats for the volunteers to wear...here are pictures of the twelve hats I made for the occasion.
Miscellaneous Rory
As is usual for children, Rory recently got some sort of bug. Her dad made a special place on the couch for her to relax (with Elmo - seen in the left top corner of the picture) with her pedialite Popsicle.
She's getting so big!
The Burk's returned from their vacation recently with gifts for Rory and the new baby. Here is Rory fawning over the baby's pink dress.
House Updates – before and after
Now that we have another little one on the way I am feeling like I need to fix a few things around the house that have been bugging me. Normal people don’t let lighting and the lack of a back splash bother them but I’m blaming pregnancy hormones on this one. In addition to the pictures below, I have been working on painting, decorating and furnishing Rory’s room and the nursery…I’ll post pictures of those when I am finished. Hope the pictures don’t bore you too much!
Before - over the stairwell
After - over the stairwell
Closeup on light over stairwell.
Before - entryway lighting
After - entry way lighting
Before - master bedroom hallway light
After - master bedroom hallway light
Before - Master bedroom light
After - master bedroom light
Master bedroom light closeup
Before - kitchen
After - kitchen with new stainless steel back splash
I'll stop boring you with house pictures now. Hope all is well with you all!
