16.5 Years

Our Sweet Shep
We had to put our beloved dog Shep to sleep this weekend - she was 16 and a half.  We (the Warwick's) got her when my brother Jesse was only 12 years old.  We were lucky to have her for so long and we'll miss her a ton.  Below is a picture of her and (a red headed) Jesse years ago.

Aside from this sad news, we have been busy with all kinds of fun activities.  Yuri only has two more weeks in Juneau this year and has been able to come home almost every weekend this session. 

Beer Scramble

The city of Nenana used to sponsor an event during Tripod Days called the "Beer Scramble". The beer scramble consisted of a street littered with beer cans and a mad dash of participants to gather up as many cans as possible (kind of like an Easter egg hunt for adults). It was quite a site and participants always went home with a lot of free beer. Unfortunately, they no longer host it and instead have turned it into a "Pop Scramble" - fun for kids but not so much fun for the adults. So, a few of us decided to host a replacement beer scramble.  This year marked the second annual scramble and there were a few more participants than last year and we have no doubt it will catch on and there will be even more next year.  The sun was shining and we had a great time eating, hanging out with old friends and diving for beers.  Hope to see you all out next year.

Alli Gordon's Wedding

Rory and I travelled to Seattle last month to attend Alli Gordon's wedding.  Yuri met us there and was fortunate not to have to travel with Rory as a "lap child".  Let's just say that I am not traveling with her again until she understands what a bribe is and the rules surrounding them.  Alli's wedding was beautiful and it was wonderful to see folks that we don't get to see nearly enough.  Here is a picture of Rory and her dad taking a little stroll outside the church.

The church was also the scene of a little activity we like to call...take a bath in the water fountain.  Rory had never seen one before and had a great time splashing around in the water (while being egged on by her dad and Grandad Andy).

Baby Bentley Burks Babyshower
Heather Husband and I threw a babyshower for our friend, Megan Burks.  The party was great (if I do say so myself) but I am furious with myself for not taking pictures of all the decorations, food, cake pops, etc.  The only picture I have of the shower is of Megan and I posing under the backdrop we created for guest to have their photo's taken in front of.  Oh, by the way, Megan's son is going to be named Bentley...how darned cute...Bentley Burks!

Easter Fun

Yuri was able to come home for Easter weekend - which we didn't think would happen with Session wrapping up and the Capital Budget out any day now.  Anyways, we were so happy to have him home to share a good-old-fashion Warwick Easter with him.  It's hard to believe that he has never spent an Easter with my folks but it's true.  In the Warwick household we treat the Easter egg hunt like a competition (isn't it).  There is a lot of pushing, triping, and dare I say, cheating involved.  Anyways, this year was no different and Jesse, Petra, Yuri, Rory and I made out like bandits.  We've got enough candy, toys and gift cards (well, Jesse does) to last us all year.  Below are pictures of Rory hunting Easter eggs before the "adult" hunt and of Yuri teaching Rory a golf swing...the Easter bunny gave her a set of plastic golf clubs.

After the Easter festivities and much needed naps by all involved, we went outside to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather!  Our trip around the block consisted of a lot of puddle splashing...it was great!

Miscellaneous Rory
Rory is jabbering up a storm - words like yes, please, mama, dada, nana (banana I think), eye, thank you (comes out as ank ew), etc. Below are several pictures of our little spirited child.


Second haircut - by mom!  I'm sure she injested some hair with her waffle but there is no other way to do this.

Our little ham...

Rory and Petra...very stylish!

Rory LOVES manderin oranges.  She can eat several in one sitting - not kidding.  She stores them in her cheeks and chews on them for several minutes.  I'm hopeful that she grows out of this or else it might be hard for her to find a date to the prom.

Rory is not a girly-girl.  I put her in this tutu to match her buddy, Piper, but she wanted nothing to do with it.  In fact, she's trying to take it off before we can even get a picture.

'Till next time...

Birthday, Dogs and Moose Antlers

Yuri entered his late 30's last month and to celebrate, we had a Mexican fiesta at the house.  Some of you may not know that Yuri was born in Mexico to Alaskan parents who were out enjoying their youth.  Anyways, whenever possible we celebrate his heritage - we are so lucky to have an excuse to have pinata's and drink Pacifico! 

Below is a picture of Piper Burks at Yuri's B-day party.  She is about to become a big sister and is showing a lot of potential with the babydoll.

Here is Petra at Yuri's party...  Her mother hails from Mexico so she and Yuri always have fun celebrating their "home land".

We've had some fabulous weather that has allowed us to get outdoors.  It is so dry here that the snow has a lot in common with sand...just falls through your fingers when you try to pick it up.  There are no snowballs being made here.

One of our outdoor adventures was to watch my dad participate in a skijor race.  Below you can see Yuri (who doesn't even like dogs) help my dad get the dogs under control and to the starting line.

Rory's sled ride through the neighborhood to visit grandparents and great-grandparents.

I may have mentioned in previous blogs that Martin Janecky, our friend from the Czech Republic, is a very talented glass blower.  We often benefit from his generousity and this Christmas he outdid himself by giving Yuri and I a blown glass moose antler rack.  It is absolutely fabulous and I feel so honored to have it on my wall.  Below is Martin with the newly installed rack - my photography leaves a lot to be desired and doesn't do the work justice but you get the idea. 

Ben Sharp, an extremely talented metalsmith, came to Fairbanks again (from Washington) and created the stand/mount for the moose rack.  Below, he is posed perfectly to show off his handy work.

Hope you are all well!

Love,

Yuri, Sydney & Rory

Good old fashion Wargan Morwick Christmas & Much More!

Christmas '09 was quite an event.  Rory had fun tearing up wrapping paper and enjoyed playing with her cousins - Addy, Quinn, Tyson and Ayman - who made the trip north from Valdez and Olympia.  The month of December was filled with parties and get-togethers; we are fortunate to have so much family and friends nearby to help celebrate the holidays.  Below is a picture of Rory with her cousins (it was the best we could do with little ones squirming around). 

A week into 2010, my college friend Sonja and her son Arturo came to Fairbanks for a visit.  We hadn't seen each other since my wedding (2004) and she hadn't changed a bit.  Arturo is a few months younger than Rory and she sensed it...patting his back like a baby...it was sweet.

The 2010 legislative session has begun, which means that Yuri is now commuting to Juneau.  Thankfully, session is only 90 days and he is scheduled to return home most weekends.  Rory and I headed to Juneau last weekend to visit.  Rory stayed behind for the week to hang out with her Grandparents, Great-Grandpa, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.  She has returned to Fairbanks unscathed.  Below is a picture taken of the 4 generations of Morgans.  L to R: Sid (Yuri's father), Rory, Yuri and Sid Sr. (Yuri's grandfather).

Several weeks ago, Rory underwent minor surgery to get "tubes" inserted in both ears.  She has battled ear infections most of her young life, and already, the procedure has noticeably improved her quality of life.

Picture below:  Close family friend and amazing glass artist, Martin Janecky, hanging out on the couch with Rory and Yuri.  Behind them is a fabulous painting that artist Jan Viresen made for our living room.  He was in town last summer painting the diarama for the Morris Thompson center and stayed in the apartment next to us.  The gift was so thoughtful and we are loving it!

Following are some random pictures that show you how big Rory is getting. Note that she is 100% mobile now...walking and running like a slightly intoxicated trackstar.

Against child labor laws, we are starting Rory young...she loves to clean (unlike her mother)!

Bathtime at Rory's grandparents home in Juneau...notice the cute belly and numerous dimples on her backside...so cute!