July/August Post

Technical difficulties prevented me from posting this blog earlier - apparently Google and Microsoft are battling and they don't seem to care how this affects me. The pictures contained in this blog are several weeks old and in Massie's life that is a significant amount of time.

Unfortunately there are no family pictures of us enjoying the Golden Days festivities as on our way to the parade I had a little rollerblading accident and ended up in the emergency room. All is okay - I was pushing Rory in a jogging stroller but she escaped unscathed (thank goodness). I ended up with a lot of scrapes and received my first set of stitches (on my chin...ugh). Stitches are now out and I'm told that my face now has "character".

Massie is getting big and is full of personality - smiling and cooing - all of that wonderful baby stuff. She can now hold her head up pretty well and is allowing us more sleep at night. Really, she is a pretty easy baby. Rory has been a big help and enjoys her Big Sister role.

Tanana Valley State Fair
Rory surprised us all by hopping on the pony at the fair. Usually a scaredy cat, she got on the pony and didn't need any assistance from us adults.

Rory and her dad sharing a fair staple - corn on the cob.

One of the few rides Rory would go on...like I said before she is a very cautious child.

Rory wiping her dad's mouth after a particularly messy corn dog.

Rory, with her new "do", and her handsome dad.

Rory's grandma Linda brought Rory and all her cousins to the fair for a seven hour fun fest. I'm sure they were given whatever they wanted, did whatever they wanted, and had total control of all happenings. Needless to say, when Rory returned home she was a mess (physically and mentally). As you can tell from the pictures below, she had a rough day being spoiled rotten and wasn't very happy to be home with rules - hence the wet-from-tears eyelashes. Gotta love the second picture - the 40 mile (tired) stare.

Rory's New Truck

We purchased a new (to us) truck over a month ago as we needed another vehicle that kids could be transported in. I like to refer to it as Rory's car as it will probably be her junker truck in 14 years when she gets her license...we'll see how good her grades are.

Creamer's Field Outing

Rory, Massie, Yuri and I took off a few weeks ago for an outdoor outing at Creamer's Field. None of us had ever been on the trails before (which is almost unheard of for true Fairbanksan's). Well, Rory proved to be my child by not wanting to get out of her Chariot (the Cadillac of convertible strollers - only the best). Below is a picture of the one time we coaxed her out of the Chariot.

After Creamer's field we hit Hot Licks for Rory's first stop at the infamous ice cream shop. Below is a picture of Rory after she dug her nose into Yuri's ice cream cone - yuck.

Gardening

This was my second year gardening. In hind site it probably wasn't probably realistic to think that I could keep up with a garden, a two-year-old and a new born. In addition to these factors, the amount of rain we have received this summer is unheard of...there is actually mold in the garden. Having said this, we did get some veggies. In addition to the pictures below, we grew great tomatoes, some zucchini, broccoli, lettuce, a few cucumbers (without a greenhouse I will add) and lots of yummy herbs.

Rory showing off just a portion of our yummy snap peas crop.

The carrots are almost as heavy as her!

I wanted to see if artichokes would grow here. Everyone said that it wouldn't work but so far these artichokes are doing great, and without our usual amount of Fairbanks summer sun. Pretty cool if I do say so myself.

Rory and Massie

Rory just loves her little sister!

Gives her lots of kisses...

You have to love this picture...look at Massie's face..."dad, why do you keep putting me in this crazy girl's arms?! I'm scared!".

Massie

The many faces of our sweety pie.

Bright-eyed and alert baby

Enjoy the remainder of your summer...Fall is in the air!

Summer is Here

Massie is now a month old and is bringing a lot of joy to our family. She has already participated in quite a few events as you will see below.

Midnight Sun Run
While Massie and I sat on the sidelines in front of our house, Yuri and Rory participated in the Midnight Sun Run. There were thousands of participants and, as usual, our neighborhood turns into party central. Rory won 1st place in her age category and didn't even break a sweat!

Father's Day

Yuri, Leon, Steve, and Grandpa Bud all took a flightseeing tour around the Fairbanks area for Father's Day (it was Bud's gift from his daughter, Linda). Below is the crew enjoying the flight.

L to R - Yuri, Bud, Leon, Steve and their pilot extraordinaire, Ken.

Yuri's 20-year High School Reunion in Juneau

Yuri and I packed up the kids (along with nearly all of our household belongings), hopped on a plane heading to Juneau for Yuri's 20-year high school reunion. In addition to attending the reunion, the trip allowed us to see a lot of our Juneau family.

Below is a picture of Yuri and two of his high school buddies, Rob and Rodney.

While in Juneau we were able to meet up with family and introduce them to our newest addition. Below is Grandpa Sid in an oh-so-serene pose with Massie.

Rory, Massie and Grandma Karen hanging out on the couch.

The summer weather in Juneau was wet and windy but, nevertheless, Rory enjoyed walking the beach with Yuri.

Rory finally got to meet her cousin Madeline; they got along wonderfully and Rory looks forward to their next meeting.

Yuri's cousin Amy, and Uncle Jeff (Madeline's mom and granddad) - It was great to see the two again.

Yuri's Uncle Lee and Aunt Sherie...they are always a hoot to visit with and we appreciated getting to see them again.

Fairbanks Family Time

Many of Yuri's siblings and their children were in Fairbanks in June. Below is Rory with her cousins Tyson (4) and Quinn (6).


Cutie Cousin Estelle (10 months).

Yuri's Brother Nick, Sister Genevieve and her daughter, Estelle.

Yuri's brother, Nick, and his model good looks...am I right ladies?!

Estelle with her Dad, Kirill.

Rory swinging with her Grandma Linda and Great Grandfather Bud. If you detect an unhappiness in Rory's facial expression, it's because the person taking the photo (her mother) had just - minutes earlier - pushed her off the swing into the gravel. Bad Mom!

Grandma Judy and Grandad Andy with baby Massie.

Yuri's cousin, Barbara (who is expecting her second child this winter), with her son, Lincoln, and family friend, Jesse.

Shannon holding Massie for the first time.

Massie's cousin, Addy, holding her very gently and lovingly.

Just Massie

Well, we wouldn't be the parents of a newborn without taking a million pictures and wanting to share them with everyone we run into. Below are (way too many) pictures of our sweet little Massie.

The "crazy eyes boxer" look...

I love this picture...it shows you just how small her little fingers are (holding onto my thumb).

"The Thinker"

"The Burrito"

And a Few Miscellaneous Pictures for Viewing

As summer progresses we are certain to have many more adventures and pictures to share with you. We hope you all all doing well and enjoying your summer!

Love,

Yuri, Sydney, Rory and Massie