A Happy Halloween and Goodbye to Ruby

Goodbye Ruby

I like to get the sad news out of the way.  Ms. Southern Ruby, our family friend and yearly HIPOW date, passed away the first of November.  Ruby lived 86 years and her death was extremely quick and likely not too painful.  She had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person on the room when you ran into her at local functions and I always brightened up around her.  We will miss her a lot but we'll have many pictures to remind us of the good times.  Goodbye Ruby - we'll miss you!

Below is a picture taken just a few weeks before her death...she was dressed to the nines as usual.

Sid & Karen Visit the Heartland

Sid and Karen (Yuri's folks) visited from Juneau just as Fairbanks was getting really cold.  We had a wonderful visit with them; they have a way with the girls who just light up around them.  They are easy house guests and we hope they return soon.  Yuri's brother, Dylan, also visited for several days however I didn't manage to get a picture of him with the girls.  Next time Dylan!

Below is a picture of Karen, Sid and Rory during a walk we took at Alaskaland during a Halloween event.  My kids were the only ones not dressed up...bad mom.

Here is Massie being pulled in her sled throughout the park.

Birthday Party
Rory got to celebrate her friend, Angelina's, birthday at a gymnastics studio.  Here are the kids lined up to listen to the rules - yeah, right.

Here is my balanced little girl...she did a great job on the beam.

And, she garnered the courage to do the zipline...turns out it was fun.

Halloween
We were invited to the Bast Halloween bash again this year and had a blast! Below is officer Yuri cuffing Ladybug Rory.

Crazy eye picture of me as Rosie the Riveter.

Just prior to the Bast party we attended Rory's Montessori Halloween Carnival.  For someone who really doesn't get into Halloween (me) it's a little odd that I had two costumes this year.  On my lap is Fozzie Bear.  Rory and I spent weeks trying to teach her to say "Wacka Wacka" but in the end it simply came out as Nacka Nacka.  She was a cute little Fozzie.  As for Rory, I ordered an adorable handmade ladybug costume from Etsy but apparently the US Postal Service treats Alaska as a third world country as the package took a month to get here (not in time for Halloween).  So, we ran to Fred Meyer and got this cute little outfit instead.  

My little ladybug fishing for a prize.

The Burks' annual Halloween pumpkin carving party was a ton of fun again this year.  We got to catch up with friends we hadn't seen for a while, enjoy some grub and get really slimy with all those pumpkin guts.  Here are the kids with their masterpieces.

The children of the original Riverview Gang - it's amazing to see my girls with the children of the friends I grew up with.  The Burks (minus Bentley), the Sadlers and the Morgans (Warwicks).  I hope these kids are all friends as they grow.

After all the Halloween festivities the kids were a little worn out and Rory frankly wasn't super excited about dressing up to go trick-or-treating.  I told her if she wanted candy that she had to put something on (yes, I bribed her) so she chose to put on the butterfly wings that the Tangemans bought her last year.  We then put Rory's ladybug costume over Massie's snowsuit.

Off my winged creatures go to hunt for candy.

And, a final Halloween picture.  We caught Fozzie raiding the fridge...bad bear.

The Girls

Rory and Massie were getting a kick out of pushing each other around in a baby stroller meant for baby dolls. They exceeded the weight restriction by about 30 pounds but it worked out okay in the end (i.e. no one seriously injured).

Rory grabbed my camera and started taking shots...I'd say she has potential.  Look at this beautiful picture she took of Massie.

Hope you all enjoyed the Halloween season and are keeping warm this winter.

Better late than never...right?

I sound like a broken record...but, I'm late on the blog again!

Summer flew by in the blink of an eye.  Fall is here and we expect the snow to fly any day.  I enjoy this time of year; hunkering down for the winter and preparing for holidays, Rory's birthday and winter activities.  

Rory is growing like a weed and is an amazing little girl who likes to help her mom, dad and little sister.  She has a wonderfully pleasant disposition, dances like a superstar and has an innate desire to learn.  After spending the weekend with my friend Dyanne and her daughter, Natalie, Rory now likes to play Go Fish and War; she usually ends up beating her dad and me.  Rory's favorite thing to do lately is to watch Uncle Jesse on the Healy Lake version of Carly Rae Jespen’s song Call Me Maybe – look it up on YouTube.  Jesse can be seen in the night vision shot – far right – the terrible lip syncer.

Massie has grown leaps and bounds in the past two months.  Just like her sister, she's a dancing fool who would rather listen to music than watch TV.  She is curious and one of the sweetest babies you'll ever know.  Her vocabulary is growing exponentially with each day that passes.  Some of my favorites (and most frequently used) are: night night, up, no, dada, mom, banana (or something that sounds similar), yes, all done, tank you :-), hello, I love you (or more like - ra ruv ru).  

Now that you have sufficiently been updated on the girls...let's get to the pictures.

Outdoor Adventures

We are making an effort to get the girls outside more and with Fall upon us it is a perfect time to get out and breath the fresh air.

Yuri with the girls on a beautiful fall day.

Playing in the leaves in her brand new jacket.  I had no idea the jacket would be neon pink when I ordered it. The good news is that we'll be able to see her from a mile away (heck, the airplanes flying overhead will be able to see her).

Massie picking up one of one thousand leaves.

Dyanne and Natalie / Robyn and Mike Visit Fairbanks

One of my dearest friends, Dyanne, brought her daughter, Natalie, to Fairbanks for a visit about a month ago.  We had a nice time catching up and running after the kids for a long weekend.  The girls got along well and by the end of the trip were acting just like sisters.

Natalie loves the water and is a little fish.  Fortunately for us, this interest rubbed off on Rory.  Rory is now enjoying the water and has even dunked her head a time or two.  Thanks Natalie!  Below are the girls at the Chena Hot Springs pool.

Not my finest hair day but below is Dy and I with the girls.

A day after Dyanne and Natalie headed back to Anchorage, my oldest (not talking age people) and dear friend, Robyn, made a stop in Fairbanks with her hubby, Mike.  Robyn and I enjoyed a day of pampering while Mike and Yuri hit the golf course.  They then headed off to Anchorage where Yuri and I met up with them, and the rest of the gang, the next day.

Once I arrived in Anchorage I headed over to Sullivan's to meet up with the crew - L to R (pay no attention to the terrible picture - everyone seems to have glowing raccoon eyes) - Mike A., Robyn, Dyanne, Betty, Bruce, Mike R., Renee, Lanie and me (Yuri was at another function but met up with us later in the evening).  This group never has a dull time...we can get together after not seeing each other for ages and it's just like no time has passed! 

The next day, Robyn, Dyanne and I, along with our husbands, headed out to Girdwood for the evening.  Below is a picture of the three of us girls at the Double Musky.  Hard to believe our little group of three has been together for 20 years...I'm so lucky to have these gals in my life!

Parties
The WWWW gang got together at my Mom's studio last month to watch Martin and Maurik blow glass.  We had a nice, low key evening and everyone got to go home with a hand-blown wine glass.

Here are a few of the hand-blown glasses that were made for the gals.

Baby Jesse turned 31 this year.  To celebrate, Mom and Dad had a small get together at their house.  Below is Jesse after blowing out the candles.  Rory is staring in disbelief as Jesse actually blew out his own candles instead of having her do it as most people do.

Jesse with his sister and nieces.

Grandpa Bud celebrated another birthday last month too.  Below are Rory and Grandma Linda with Bud, who is cracking up at the card he's been given.

Outdoor movie night - Living in Alaska we rarely have an opportunity to watch movies outside as it is usually too cold to be outdoors when it is dark.  For those of you who haven't experienced Alaska, the summer months are daylight nearly 24 hours; it only gets dark when fall/winter comes which makes it COLD.  It seems that it's been unseasonably warm so our friends, the Baileys, hosted an outdoor movie night.  Yuri attended the party with Rory as I stayed behind with a sleeping Massie.  Below is a not-so-great picture of the movie watching participants.  What a great night and a great party!

My friend and fellow WWWW member, Jacyn, made these cupcakes for her son's birthday party (that we crashed :-)).  She is incredibly talented - the toppings are edible and the cupcakes were delicious!

Dodson 4th annual chili cook off - Jimmy and Heather moved into their new (amazing) house and christened it by hosting their annual chili cook off.  I, of course, brought a vegetarian chili - I mean, someones got to come in last place, right?  Just kidding, I'm not positive I got last.  A good time was had by all and Rory spent all evening outside with her girlfriends.

Heather and Jimmy announcing the winners of the chili cook off.

Grandad Andy with Massie at the cook off party.

Several months ago we celebrated Jacyn's 30th birthday.  Below is me, my Mom (middle) and Sue Wilken.

Renee Visits Fairbanks
Renee was brought to Fairbanks for a work function and stayed the night to hang out with the Morgan girls.  We love seeing Renee!

Rory and Massie - Like Peas and Carrots 
My girls are always loving on each other...it is very sweet to see.

No fear here...finally enjoying swim time.

I'm convinced that Massie was a Yogaite in a former life - every now and then I'll look over at her and she'll be doing the downward dog pose.  Here is Rory trying to copy the move.

Rory being a wonderful teacher - showing Massie how to adhere the window clings.

All Rory
Rory got tired of watching me take pictures of her and Massie so she grabbed her Elmo camera and started snapping away at her masterpiece.

I think she's taking after her Grandmother Judy...the light looks just right for a masterpiece.

We took a family trip to the fair in August - there was a lot to eat, ride and experience.  Here is our little dump truck driver taking a turn at the wheel.  Gotta have a flower in your hair when you are delivering a load of dirt.

Rory had the unfortunate luck of having a her back tooth break and then get infected.  Long story short, poor little thing had to have a root canal.  She was AMAZING!  No crying or wiggling; nothing but listening to the doctor, following directions and being incredibly grownup like.  Here she is getting the laughing gas.

All Massie
Massie is turning from a "little critter" into a very cute little girl.  Having said this, the next two pictures don't quite show her new found beauty.

We like to put Yuri's glasses on Massie and call her Mr. Chesterfield...not sure why the name is used but it fits!  Doesn't she look like a little number cruncher?!

She won't thank me for this picture when she gets older...but...gotta love her jowls in the pic!!!!

Next month...Grandma Karen and Grandpa Sid visit!

Firsts...

Summer is speeding by at the blink of an eye.  Luckily we have had a lot of opportunities to get outside and enjoy ourselves and our girls.  

Massie sprouted about 5 teeth over the course of a week and now looks like she's got half a mouthful of Chiclets.  She is in full mimic mode and is trying so hard to speak like a little girl. Her little chunky legs love to run and she has a giggle that would melt the Grinch's heart.

Rory continues to love dancing, playing with her friends and learning new things.  She knows most of her letters and is starting to sound them out.  She is a darling little girl, however, she does have moments that remind us that she is, in fact, only three.

Massie - Partied Out

We attended a surprise 30th birthday party for our friend, Kyle, several weeks ago.  We had a great time celebrating his first official birthday since turning 18 - since then he has either been away at school or overseas working (if you call playing basketball working :-)).

Massie quickly hit a wall at the party - luckily we brought the wagon with us and made her a makeshift bed.  Not much cuter than a baby sleeping in a wagon.

Eventually Massie awoke from her slumber - it's almost as if she could sense that Grandad Andy was armed with ice cream.

Golden Days 

Our friend Renee was in town for Golden Days so we decided to show her how small town Fairbanks does a fun night.  We all hopped on our bikes and headed to the local Mexican joint for a bite and a Corinita.   We then got back on our bikes and headed to Alaskaland for a good old fashion comedy show.  An evening is never boring when you are on bikes acting like a bunch of pre-driver's license holding teens.

Also in town over the Golden Days weekend were Betty and Bruce (more pics of them later).  Below is Betty with the girls enjoying the grub served at the Governor's barbecue at Alaskaland.

Although this picture doesn't adequately portray the natural beauty of my girls it does show two girls chowing down on their ice cream.  Massie looks like a proud little critter and Rory is attacking her ice cream like it stole her boyfriend.

Proud to ride on her dad's shoulders.

Betty giving the girls a ride in the wagon...she was a trooper and kept them occupied for quite some time.

A beautiful couple - Betty & Bruce

A Trip of Firsts

We've taken a few adults only rafting trips over the past few years and now that Rory is getting a little older we opted for a kids rafting trip.  It was decided that we needed to start with a basic one-night trip on the Chena River so we packed up and set off with our good friends the Baileys and the Burks (minus Megan unfortunately).  Massie decided to stay behind in the comfort of Grandad Andy and Grandma Judy's home.

Rory is very much an indoor kid; we've done a poor job at making her feel comfortable in the outdoors but there is still time to "fix" her with outings like this.

Her first rafting trip was a trip of other firsts as well...

...first time fishing...

...and a first time in a tent and sleeping bag. We are so proud of how well she did on this trip.  There were only a few "I'm three" breakdowns and I foresee many more adventures in her near future.

The Craziness of WWWW

It was murder and mayhem at the Miss America competition this year.  As always, the monthly WWWW get together was over the top fun.  The murder mystery party included some shenanigans and a murder involving laced breath mints.  Fun was had by all...I feel so fortunate to be part of this great group of women (and you'll notice Matt Wilken sneaking in the shot below).

As Miss Wisconsin, I don't exactly have pageant hair so I opted for a high quality $9.99 hairpiece.  Both my girls were horrified when they saw me...I have to admit that I do look a little creepy.

Rory, Rory, Rory
Now that Massie is getting older she has taken up big girl interests like writing on her sister's face with markers.

Rory went to the fair with her Grandma Linda - this lucky girl got to ride Snickers the Pony.

Coming up next month...Robyn returns to Alaska and the three "tall chicks" reunite.