The House of Clouse

37 Weeks!

2012-01-13T07:33:00.005-09:00

I am 37 weeks and off to Anchorage to "board" until Clouse #3 comes. Kalin and I were supposed to leave last night but delay after delay would have gotten us into Anchorage at midnight and to our B&B at about 2 a.m. We rescheduled to this morning.

Has it sunk in that we are going to have another baby in about 3 weeks...?? Um, kind of!
Wish us luck!

What we do at -20 degrees.....

2012-01-12T06:49:00.003-09:00

We had a tropical heat wave for the past few days- it was at least 20 degrees (above zero)! We woke up yesterday to temperatures hovering around 18 degrees (above zero) and through the day they plummeted slowly down. By 5:00 p.m. it was below zero. This morning we have a whopping -21 degrees (that's below zero). So anyway, we are used to it... to some degree. Here's a clip of some of our fun out in the winter sun.

Frosty

2012-01-03T14:06:00.011-09:00

It's been, to sum it up in one word, a bit frosty around here. We have been averaging somewhere around -20 for what seems to be about a month now (as in 30 days!). That isn't factoring in wind chill- which some days will bring the temps down to about -30. So, needless to say, I haven't been getting out and about much.
We try to get the kids out every day- but at these temps they are only good for a few hours at a time. And with my growing mid-section the warm winter clothes are not fitting as well as they should. To sum it up in one word again, they are snug.

So we have gone on walks.

Walks that include hitching Oscar up and having Jon run like a mad man (pulling the girls) so he will follow him. Fun had by all, except Oscar.

Did you know that children still like to eat snow, even when it is -20 outside? It's true, they do.

Proof....
Even Frosty the Snowman has been cold, poor guy. I hope it warms up soon!

By the way, happy 2012 to you and yours!

Merry Christmas from the House of Clouse!

2011-12-25T20:41:00.004-09:00

From our house to yours, hoping you had a safe and fabulous day filled with fun, family and lots of laughter. Our house was filled with all of these, and more!

It was -15 at our house this morning and warmed up to about -5, and about 5 hours of daylight.. I am hoping that this time next year we wake up to 75+, lots of sun and warm sand.

The Christmas Party

2011-12-16T10:11:00.013-09:00

Family picture #1

Family picture #2

and....Family picture #3

So after looking at our three attempts at a good picture- I am wondering what the heck were Blaker and Kalin LOOKING AT?

Our district office Christmas party was a big hit again this year. The girls were super, super excited to see Santa. Why over-the-top excitement you ask? We made a point to tell them that when Santa comes he will bring a present for them that they get to open early. I also had to make the point that if they didn't start getting along better that when Santa brought the presents they weren't going to get to open them. Just keepin' it real people. I am 8 months pregnant after all.

Kiley told after we told her Santa was watching her, "Santa never brings me what I want anyway."
Let's just say that Santa is going to rock her world this year. How do we know? We're the parents, we know everything. Anddon'tyouforgetit.

Blaker even got excited about his present from Santa....

Fun was had by all, even the parents.

No matter how good the pine smells, don't try to smell it! Ouch!

Cookie making and tasting

K-2 Christmas Program

2011-12-15T10:55:00.009-09:00

I have never seen Kiley so excited for a program before. I hit a home run with her "Christmas Outfit"-- lots of sparkles, black pants and NO dress in sight. That might have been a part of it. I think a big part of it was the fact that Papa, Gram, Coleman, Kalin, Amma Bossy, and Mom and Dad were there to see her sing her little heart out.

We have been hearing her sing the assigned first grade songs since about the beginning of November- "All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" as well as "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." The latter she liked to sing directly to me, got a kick out of it, she actually told me, "Mom I know you wouldn't do that!" I didn't have the heart to tell her Santa was her Daddy.... we'll wait a year or two for that revelation. It was so cute to hear all the first graders singing together. Pretty soon Sis is going to be up on that stage!

The obligatory Sister picture, love it every year.

Speaking of.... Sis was pretty excited about the Christmas program too- she loves excuses to wear her pretty dresses. What? Tuesday isn't a good enough excuse anymore? But MOM it's ONLY -20 outside!

Wolverine Wrestling, 2011

2011-12-11T07:50:00.006-09:00

Our wrestler finished up his last week of wrestling last weekend. He finished his first and last season of Wolverine Wrestling fifth in the region in the 182 pound class. It was a grueling weekend chocked full of wrestling match after wrestling match! Jon and I both took the day off to watch, and for Jon to volunteer. The girls and I didn't leave the gym Friday night until after 11:00 p.m.!
I wish my camera took better picture- but these are the best I could do.

Below is a picture of what I consider to be the best match of the night. Blake wrestled against a KNW Eagle- so I had to cheer against my old crowd. Whew, it was loud but I got my voice heard! Blake won by points and right at the end the kids parent he was wrestling yelled, "At least he didn't PIN YOU!" haha, it was awesome. Highlight of the weekend for me!

We are super proud of Blake for joining and finishing wrestling this year, it was a great learning experience for him.

Frosty Walk....

2011-12-04T15:45:00.007-09:00

We have had the weirdest weather here in SW Alaska.... well I guess its only been atypical for the last week or so. Dillingham got a ton of snow and then some seriously cold temperatures fast this year. Over Thanksgiving break we had temps down to -20, this week we have had temps in the mid + 30's, and RAIN! That is weird, and I don't like it very much. Both extremes make it hard to get out and about... especially for this pregnant Mama. My winter clothes are getting awfully tight and the rain gear has been packed away, for a while now.

So anyway, even though it was freezing cold outside we got out to take a walk. It was hovering around -15, but we managed to dress in enough layers to stay warm for a little while. Jon's 'stache got a little frosty as did Sis's hair.

Kami and Oscar had a blast running around.... the cold doesn't seem to bother them much when they are with us! Jon rigged up the sled to Oscar's collar and he pulled the girls for a bit, as long as Jon was running with him. Winter fun... that's what we are about!

About 30 weeks....

2011-12-03T17:44:00.005-09:00

Can you guess which one? :) We had to coerce Sis into posing with us... she wasn't in the best of moods. I love the picture of Kiley and I posing together when Sis was inside, priceless. Clouse Baby #3 will love this picture too.

I've been altering between this type of a mood (see above) and this....

We don't have much longer to wait.... so I hope everyone is patient with me, and my moods swings!

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

2011-11-24T20:08:00.005-09:00

We have so much to be thankful for this year. Our health, happy family, extended family, great jobs, good friends and so much more. We were missing my sister and Matthew this year, but our niece Camryn got to be here from Anchorage, if only for a short time. What a wonderful day- full of great food, family and laughter. What more could you ask for?

We have one more thing to be thankful for. Our nephew Coleman Cael, celebrated his first Thanksgiving today. Next year at this time we are going to have a little girl crawling around at just about his age, celebrating her first Thanksgiving!
Hope yours was as happy as ours!

Date Night!

2011-11-13T17:43:00.004-09:00

It doesn't happen very often, but we clean up pretty nice when it does!

Checking out the local Waterfall.....

2011-11-06T14:46:00.006-09:00

I thought since in seemed like winter was officially here (aka days below freezing and lots of snow showers) we should go and check out the "waterfall" with the girls.

I say "waterfall" hesitantly because not everyone agrees with the term to describe the water that flows in the creek behind our house. Potatoes patatas..... The girls call it a waterfall and we are going with that. We love the little walk, it puts color in our cheeks, fresh air in our lungs and a spring in our step.
The tundra wasn't as frozen as I thought it was going to be, which meant lots of crunching through the snow for this pregnant mama. Unfortunately the waterfall isn't close to being a waterfall, we need a few more weeks of cold weather for that to happen.

We got out, and we had fun. You can't ask for much more than that!

Trick or Treating 2011

2011-11-01T21:21:00.004-08:00

Halloween was fun, but exhausting as usual. There were only two meltdowns this year- one for Sis and one for Mom :). We had a great time Trick or Treating with Kiley's best friend's family- the Tuckwoods (who were the cutest M&M's). The kids loaded up in Neqleq! I think the highlight for them was scoring an entire pop and a huge bag of Skittles, made their night.

I forgot my camera and didn't get a chance to take a family picture, luckily Amma Bossy came to the rescue with her camera, so we do at least have one pic! Somehow the cute little witch turned into a bear, but the Colorado Cowgirl stayed in her chaps. Dad was still a 7 ft. Angry Bird (and seemed to be a hit with everyone who saw him!) and Mom a preggo witch.

Happy Halloween 2011!

2011-10-31T08:06:00.003-08:00

Happy Halloween 2011!

From a Colorado Cowgirl....
and the cutest little witch.... (doesn't she look like Wendy from the Archie comics?)

More pictures of a pregnant witch and Angry Bird to follow.

It is snowing here in Dillingham today... Halloween Trick-or-Treating will be interesting.

Our Reality Check....

2011-10-27T08:13:00.008-08:00

The Clouses had a visitor, my nephew Coleman Cael! His dad was coaching in Kotzebue for a wrestling tournament so we got to keep the most handsome little man at our house for the whole weekend.

What a reality check for Jon and I!! There was none of this sleeping in until 9:00 or sleeping through the night business. No way, huh uh. Not for a 8 1/2 month old anyway! It was up at 3:00 a.m., up at 4:30 a.m. and then BAM good morning at 6:30 a.m.!! Ready or not! We figure it was good practice for our little girl who is coming in just a short 14 weeks.... ready or not!

We took baths at 7:00 a.m., trying to keep the house quiet for at least a little while. It didn't work very well.
Coleman is a terror on hands and knees.... fast and into everything! But he also likes to be held. We like to accommodate that.

The girls had fun wrapping him up in blankets, whether he liked it or not. I think he liked it most of the time. What a fun weekend, I miss the little man already!

The Barge is in.....

2011-10-20T10:27:00.006-08:00

Every year we order a large amount of food from a company out of Seattle, Span Alaska, who then put our groceries on a barge headed for Alaska. We buy a large assortment of bulk "goods" that are too expensive to buy here, or just weigh a lot and are too bulky to deal with sending out of Anchorage. Things like dog food, cat food, rice, cake mixes, cans of soup, chips, pop.... canned veggies and fruit. Just to name a few.

I wish I would have taken a picture of our two monster pallets that we took off the barge, before their contents were unpacked, but I didn't. Here are a few more pictures of our stocked pantry.

Such an amazing addition to our house- this storage space is just what we needed!! As I walk in here to get something I keep thinking to myself, where did we put all this food before? A million thanks, again, to Paul for finishing our pantry for us.

The freezer is full of moose and fish and now the pantry is stocked, I think we are ready for winter. Maybe.....

Baby Girl Clouse....

2011-10-16T20:43:00.006-08:00

Here she is!

I got to have a 3D ultrasound while I was in Anchorage and the pictures turned out fabulous. I think this technology is just amazing- the detail of their faces is so surprising! Our newest baby girl has got the cutest little nose.... and she looks like she will have long limbs like the other two.

Below is a standard ultrasound with her waving hi to the camera.

So far all looks well. Baby Girl Clouse #3 is healthy, and very, very active! In one picture I swear she is about to do a somersault.... which would match perfectly with her two very active sisters! They are estimating her due date somewhere between January 30th and February 2nd.

I'm really hoping for the 2-2-12 birthday!

China Cap Excursion

2011-10-11T11:57:00.005-08:00

Jon took the girls and dogs on a climbing expedition to "China Cap." Is it a mountain? Or a hill? I don't know, but it is just a hop, skip and a jump from our house and the family loves to go there. What a gorgeous fall day to be out hiking and soaking up some fall sunshine, just look at that view!

I heard all about the fun they had- rolling and running and picking berries when they got back home, but after seeing these gorgeous pictures I wish I could have gone! I think our next sunny day we are heading here to take our next family picture.

The big question is will we make it before the next snowy day?

Knock knock....

2011-10-10T19:07:00.006-08:00

Fall is here, no denying it, but I could feel winter knocking on our door this morning.

Winter came for a quick visit at the end of September and tried to leave some of that white stuff.... but then they decided that it was a little early for that.

But we had another frost last night and although it was gorgeous outside all today with all kinds of sunshine I could still feel the chill by lunch time.

Which makes me miss summer,

and sunny faces.

As well as monkey bars.

And favorite cousins on the trampoline.

*Sigh* I better get ready.... the knock is definitely getting louder!

Giant Cabbage

2011-10-06T10:49:00.003-08:00

The biggest cabbage we have ever grown. I think it would have won a prize at the state fair!

September Birthday Girls

2011-10-01T09:20:00.006-08:00

It's October 1st, I'm a little late on posting about our September birthdays. My excuse is.... it was a VERY busy month!

I made 4 cakes this month. Seriously- 4. That is a lot. (Plus cinnamon rolls, banana bread, dinner....etc)

I traveled to 3 villages and stayed over night in one.

We've had dinner parties, family dinners, birthday parties, club meetings, picked berries, went hunting, had school 5 out of the 7 days and our first Parent/Teacher conferences of the year.

I also have been cooking Clouse #3 this month- she's been busy jumping on my bladder and kicking. So far a typical Clouse girl.

We've been busy.

Our first birthday girl is Gram. I won't tell you how old she is now, she'd kill me. But we had a great dinner and party on her birthday.

Cheese... it was hard to get a picture without the grandkids in it!

Kalin and Kiley helped decorate Gram's cake, they love to decorate.

Our next birthday girl is Kiley, she turned 7 this year! Our baby is already 7, it is still hard to believe. She got a family party and a kid birthday party. Just those two alone made for a busy month for Mom and Dad!

Family party- she cried the morning of because she didn't like her cake. The plight of a 7 year old.

The pirate ship cake @ the kid party. She was happy with it.

Tony's Run 2011

2011-09-25T09:56:00.006-08:00

Jon and Kiley decided to bike the 5K this year for Tony's Run. Tony's Run is the only yearly "run" in Dillingham, sponsored by a local organization. You have the option to run, walk or "roll" a marathon, 1/2 marathon, 10K or 5K. I typically try to do something, but Baby Clouse just isn't having Mama do much in the area of continuous activity this year. There is always next year.

Pep talk before the bike race

It was a beautiful day- not perfect, but just right for your first bike race. There were some clouds in the sky and it rained a few times, but overall it was beautiful.

Ready!

Here they come!

Finished! Phew.

Kiley was pretty stoked that she came in before her dad, the highlight of the race. Our family is getting old enough that next year we might all be able to participate in Tony's Run!

Potato Harvest

2011-09-20T18:43:00.006-08:00

Two of the biggest potatoes they could find

It was a good year for potatoes this year, at least at our house. We dug up about half of our potato garden this weekend and had a total of 51 pounds when all was said and done. It was like digging for gold we discovered..... red and yellow gold.

We grew some of the biggest red potatoes ever. Ever. I was amazed at how big some of these potatoes were! Pretty proud of them too.

They make Sis's hand look little!

Let me tell you... they taste as delicious as they look!

Spruce Chicken Hunting

2011-09-19T12:14:00.007-08:00

Some girls take ballet lessons, learn how to cook, take up knitting or play dolls.

Not the Clouse girls!

Alaska girls learn how to shoot guns- booya baby.

Clouse girls hunt, in Alaska anyway. That's how we roll. We're all about subsistence in this neck of the woods- fish, moose, berries and now SPRUCE CHICKENS!

We have moose hunters and now Spruce Chicken hunters at our house. A Spruce Chicken is a grouse for all you non- Alaskans. Jon was walking around telling everyone he was going to take Kiley grouse hunting.... until Matthew asked him, "Why do you keep calling them Grouse? No one knows what you are talking about! They are Spruce Chicken." There, record set straight.

Kiley shot her first Spruce Chicken this weekend..... she was pretty dog gone excited, and mighty proud of her first hunting success.

See Uncle Will? Right through the head!

That's how it's done boys!

I must say her Dad and I are pretty proud of her too! She looks good with a gun, it matches her.

Strawberries!

2011-09-18T00:30:00.007-08:00

Kalin got to pick a "big" one

Kiley filling her bowl

It is mid-September and we are still enjoying the fruits of our Spring labor!

We planted our strawberry garden last year and we were so excited when we were able to harvest 9 strawberries. Nine, yes nine. This year we started picking our strawberries in August and have continued picking those juicy little bad boys well into September. They are so gorgeous.

We have picked from our garden three different times so far this summer/ fall (along with some sampling on my part and I'm sure some secret picking sthat I am not aware of)- I would guess a total of at least 40. There are still so many waiting to ripen, I am hoping that first real frost hangs back for just a little bit longer.

The girls get so excited whenever they see red ones that are ready to pick, and aren't so willing to share.... so I need more sampling before they are gone until next year.

We don't feel quite so jealous now when Papa and Gram tell us about all the berries they are picking in WA. Gotta love Alaska and this long harvest period, it sure is fantastic this year.

My Moose Hunters

2011-09-06T09:05:00.008-08:00

It was another Labor Day weekend spent hunting, not for me but "the boys." They traveled up the Nushagak and spent Friday night to Monday afternoon looking for a moose to fill our freezer for the winter. Why didn't I go you ask? I am a huge supporter of subsistence hunting and fishing, just not so big on the shooting and killing part. I would rather go and pick berries.... which I did. So I made jam this weekend, I was productive at home!

So anyway the boys got a moose, a very big moose. It just happened to be Matthew's first moose too. Matthew acted like it was just another day hunting, minimal excitement. Who wouldn't be excited about that rack? This moose will fill our freezer and give meat to another family to boot. Not to mention really, really cut down on our food bill. We already had our first taste last night, and it was delicious!

So hunting can be a little boring..... but it can also be full of wrestling too.

First Day of First Grade.....

2011-08-29T19:14:00.004-08:00

Boy was she ready! Just look at that smile...
Kiley said the first day of first grade was awesome, the whole day was "the best day." She found out today that her teacher was taught by her Papa, not once but three times! Her teacher was also her Uncle Max's teacher, and her Uncle Max was her sons' teacher too! She thought all of that was combined was pretty stinkin' cool (so did her Mom).

Sis was ready too, not for school but for Auntie Babe's!

Alaska State Fair

2011-08-28T19:21:00.007-08:00

We only made it for one full day this year, and to tell you the truth one day is enough! We picked the best day to go- plenty of sunshine and during the week so there weren't a ton of people. It was also Kid's Day so the kids got in free, gotta love that.

We met up with the Johnson's and got to spend the day with them. The kids were in heaven hanging out with their cousins. We showed up a little early- only two hours! Hahaha, we thought, or I thought the fair opened at 10 but alas, it opened at 12. We ended up finding a Fred Meyer and finishing up Kiley's school shopping.

Sis got her face painted like a puppy and also got to ride her favorite ride- the Merry Go Around. She kept telling her Dad she wanted to ride the "horses", so he hiked across the fairgrounds to take her to the pony's. "DAD! NOT THOSE HORSES!" haha, she wanted to go on the Carousel.

Pretty design- she surprises me every year.

Sis ran in the Toddler Trot this year, and got third place!

What a great day, I wish we could go to the fair every year! So many memories, such good times!

The more the ride spins, the more Kiley liked it!

Pregnancy

2011-08-23T18:05:00.004-08:00

I sure am happy every time.

Kiley...3 months

Kalin....3 months (I look huge, but she was 9 lbs 3 oz!!)

and, drum roll please!

Clouse Baby #3..... I look huge again. Jon says this one is a 10 pounder for sure!

How does your garden grow?

2011-08-18T19:08:00.007-08:00

Our garden is doing fabulous this year!! Despite the cold temperatures and tons of rain, we have a great production of produce right in our back yard. We are so impressed with how well everything is doing, we actually feel like we are doing things right this year. Finally our chickweed isn't out-performing everything else in our garden (although it is remarkably healthy)!

We started eating spinach salads in mid-July and have been eating our mixed green salads for about a month now. Check out our romaine, gorgeous! The salads we have been eating are just delicious.... too bad we didn't have a longer growing season. I need to figure out how to get some of these greens into the freezer so we can eat them during the winter months, hmmmm.

Here are a few other veggies that we are proud of:

Monster cabbage! What we think are the largest carrots we have grown thus far..... the last picture is of our broccoli, which we have just started to eat.

We have our own Farmer's Market right in our back yard, amazing! Wait until I show you what we grew in our green house.....

Snake Lake Climbing Expedition 2011

2011-08-16T19:50:00.008-08:00

We made it to the top of Snake Lake Mountain again this summer, its become a family ritual. Everyone goes. We try to go on a sunny day, or on a day when it just isn't raining. There weren't many of those this summer.
Some of us hiked.....
and some of us rode the whole way (it wasn't me).

There were a few casualties.....

But we made it to the top!!

All in one piece and pretty happy to be at the top. Can't wait to do it again next summer. Maybe we'll have enough energy to go back, maybe next time to pick berries!

Sockeye Slugger!

2011-08-14T19:40:00.007-08:00

You can already tell just by looking at her face that she had another successful year playing Little League baseball. Despite a summer filled with rain, wind and more rain she went to practice every week and played in every game while she was in town.

The Sockeye Sluggers have placed #1 for two years running.... and they were pretty psyched about it. I think about half the team is moving into sixth grade next year so we'll see how they do in the future. I'm optimistic!

If you can't tell by the pictures it was a pretty gorgeous day to have a baseball tournament- mid 70's with barely a cloud in the sky. A little slice of summer heaven. On another note Kiley's mother's team ALSO won first place this weekend- in the softball league. We had to play three games in a row to win, and it was so much fun. I swear the field hit 80 degrees, I bet the first time all summer!

Yeah, the Clouse women had a pretty good weekend!

Something is a little fishy.....

2011-08-13T21:27:00.007-08:00

It has been a crazy, very busy two weeks, as it always is in August for the Clouses. Long hours at work and just life leave no time for blogging. But I am back!

GB is back in Alaska, and has been here for ten days already! I thought I had better sit down at the computer and do a little catching up before she has come and gone.

We went and did some fishing up at Lake Aleknagik in July on a gorgeous day (rare for this summer!). Auntie Jen, Missy, JC, KJ, KD and ME...... it was awesome.

We ended up at the Agulawok fishing for Dollies, and all came home with sunburned faces.

Kiley caught her first fish! On her Barbie pole even....

Auntie Jen caught the first fish and had the best pose of the day!

Sis could care less for fishing- she wanted to sun bathe!
I even caught a fish!

Missy was proud of her fish too- I think it was the biggest one of the day!

Fish!

2011-07-31T12:43:00.007-08:00

Jeanette- stoked on how good her fillet looks!

I look forward to fish every summer- more explicitly of the KING SALMON variety. There is nothing like Wild Alaskan Salmon fresh out of the water- don't every let anyone tell you any different!

I even cut my fish with my new ulu

I have issues with my ability to fillet and put away the fish for our long winter, I'm embarassed to admit my fillet-ing ability is not what it should be. That, however, changed this summer. Practice makes perfect after all.

I hired (ha not really) two very experienced teachers for my Sister and I to walk us through step by step on how to fillet, brine and hang our King Salmon to make a yummy three day smoked fish (which we can and then use in dips, casseroles, soups- you name it). My Mom and Aunt Emily stepped in and walked us through the process.

Mom hard at work with the monster King Fillet's

Aunt Em with the strips in brine

We spent a few hours processing 7 Kings- they were big suckers. Filled up our smoke house. On the third day a bear decided to sample our hard work. Yes, a bear. He was not invited. The bugger got about 2/3 of our hard, hard work. He's been coming back to visit just about every night since..... but we are done so haha Mr. Bear!

Regardless of our little bear episode we still got quite a few cans of fish made and they look gorgeous. Play your cards right and you might just get one.

Washington Trip

2011-07-26T19:36:00.006-08:00

Birch Bay

While I was off gallivanting in Tennessee the girls went to Washington with Papa and Gram. Poor Kiley got an ear infection and had to go to the hospital in the first week she was gone. Sadness, the first time one of my babies has been sick without me.

Strawberry Festival- Tractor Ride

Despite being sick the girls had a great time with their grandparents. They went to the movies, to parks, to Birch Bay and got to drink pop (major highlight). When I was finally done with my travels we had fun picking strawberries, swimming, going to parks and of course going to Birch Bay again.

Papa and Gram

We were all disappointed in the weather, me especially. I was hoping for 70-80 degree temps but instead got weather and temperature very similar to Dillingham's. We had lots of clouds and temperatures in the 50's. Well at least we had stores, parks and movies to go to!

Park Fun

The girls had their fair share of pampering on this trip- they got their nails painted and their ears pierced. Both were big surprises for their Dad!

Posing at the Park

Happy Birthday Jon!

2011-07-24T18:44:00.004-08:00

Snake Lake Mountain Trip

Happy Birthday to my husband and the father of my 2 (soon to be three!) beautiful children. We had a fun BBQ to celebrate his birthday with friends and family and then just had an easy day today. It was perfect, very low key the way Jon likes it!

We have had such a great summer so far! But the girls and I decided that 3 weeks away from Jon was too long and we will never do it again. The few weeks we have been home we have been having so much fun and doing all we can in the s0-so weather we have been experiencing this summer.

The reality of both of us working, and back to work, is going to hit hard, soon. Jon heads back to work tomorrow and I'm due back in the office August 1st. We definitely enjoyed every minute we had off!

Ekuk trip

Aleknagik Trip

The Smoky Mountains

2011-07-23T10:15:00.006-08:00

Thanks to our friend Opie I got to spend the afternoon and evening in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. What a blast, and what awesome scenery. We crossed the Tennessee border into North Carolina so I was in two states this trip. I didn't realize we were that close to NC! So on my travels this summer I was in WA, GA, MN, TN, NC, CO and WY (counting just airport stops)!!! Too much, I'll never travel this much again..... well at least not for a long time!

Opie and I took a little hike (that felt like 10 miles to me straight up!!) to get to the "third highest peak in the south". It was worth the sweat, the view was unbelievable.

We had fun driving around the mountains and Opie liked that at this higher elevation (6,000 ft +) it was SO much cooler than in Pigeon Forge and where he lives. Which is good to know. He was telling me that in his house hunt he couldn't believe that some of the houses that he looked at didn't have air conditioning! So, needless to say, he thinks Tennessee is as hot and humid as I did/do.

Did I mention I got to see one of the starting points for the Appalachian Trail or the "AT"? I read "A Walk to Remember" by Bill Bryson this winter for our local book club and really enjoyed it. He recounts his attempt to hike the entire trail with an old college friend. Most parts were very funny, I would recommend reading it. I hope to one day be in good enough shape to be able to attempt a partial hike.

Dollywood!!

2011-07-18T21:21:00.009-08:00

Shannon and Robyn in Dollywood baby!

One of the big highlights of my trip to Tennessee was going to Dollywood, which is a theme park outside of Pigeon Forge. This was were I got to see Dolly Parton twice; once at the viewing of "Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy", and at the Bubble Show. My pictures of her are so bad. Opie drove to Pigeon Forge for a visit and I got to see Robyn scream her head off on numerous rollercoasters. I also got to be a VIP for the day... which basically bumped me up to the front of the line for the play and for a bubble show I made Opie go to. But you aren't VIP every day, I enjoyed it!

Dolly! The play was um, very child friendly, and she was so gracious!

I took pictures of D.P.'s paparazzi.....

A sign from 1901 posted in TN for teachers, we thought it was kind of funny. "You May Not Wear Bright Colors" and "Schoolmistresses shall not keep company with Men" Love it, and glad I didn't have to live it!

Opie and Shannon at the Bubble Show!

I didn't get a slice, but seriously? A 25 lb Apple Pie?

The first roller coaster Robyn went on, she gave her lungs a work out on this one!

T-t-t-t-tennessee!

2011-07-13T21:00:00.003-08:00

Dixie Stampede

What a whirlwind of a summer it has been already! A few too many airports and airplanes for my taste, but you live and you learn. I won't try to fit so much into so few weeks ever again.... at least for a long, long time. My first big trip of the summer was to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with my friend Robyn, thanks to a scholarship from Best Beginnings. Our first trip down South, and what a trip it was! I got to do some amazing things in just 5 days, and here are some highlights.

1. Attend the National Imagination Library conference
2. Explore Pigeon Forge, TN
3. Go to Dollywood!
4. Explore the Smoky Mountains
5. See Jon's old roommate, Opie
6. Go to a Dixie Stampede (picture with a Southern Belle above)
7. Hike a miniscule part of the Appalachian Trail

There is so much more and I have pictures to prove it!

Daisy Girl Scout Camp Out, 2011

2011-06-12T09:08:00.006-08:00

This was supposed to be published about a month ago but traveling and busy summer projects got in the way. I am back and ready to blog now!

We finally did it, after being on weather hold for four days we decided to just go for it and hold our first ever "Daisy Camp Out"- in our back yard. We had about 14 girls come with their tents and sleeping bags and jammies. Despite the wind and rain we survived and had a fabulous time!

Some highlights: a Treasure Hunt, learning how to make a fire WITHOUT matches, playing in the club house, jumping on the trampoline, playing on the play set, learning how to cook a peach cobbler with just coals, singing songs and putting together a photo book of our year together as Daisies.

The troop in their jammies, singing songs (11:00 p.m.)

It was cold, it rained a lot but the kids didn't care one bit. They never complained about being cold or tired. Amazing. They were troopers until about 11:00- I think they finally fell asleep at about 11:30 (of course it is still light out here so it was a bit harder for them to chill out).

Kiley and Paris, tent-mates, around 11:30 p.m.!

Next year will be interesting, we've started some traditions here. I can't wait to see what we do next year!

The New PlaySet

2011-06-09T10:11:00.007-08:00

We've had it since last July, but no time to put it up. It takes hours and hours to put one of these suckers up! Just ask Papa Paul, he started it in the garage and then piece by piece it was brought to the designated spot. I would guess at least 20 hours of time went into this piece of equipment.

Now the kids have no reason whatsover to EVER leave our yard...... and in saying that I think Paul and Jon were crushed when Kiley said, not 6 hours after her new "playground" was complete, "I want to go to my school playground!" Um, what?

Blake had to show us how many pull ups he could do... or maybe Jon was talking trash saying he couldn't do any, something like that.

Regardless, the playset is getting a lot of action. It has been a pirate ship, Kalin has been a witch (a very mean one) and there have been a lot of races down the slide. If the rain will ever stop it will definitely be the hot spot at our house... along with the trampoline, Club House and swings!

First Day of Preschool

2011-06-08T09:16:00.006-08:00

Kalin had her first day of Summer Preschool yesterday! Look at our big, big girl!~ I think she was ready... but not so ready that she wanted me to leave her "all by herself." Mommy & Kiley had to stay at Preschool with her the whole time.
Once we got there and she got into the groove of "school" I think she would of been more comfortable with me leaving. That was about 30 minutes before school was out so I didn't get to test my theory.
This morning is day 2 of school and she has already told us that she thinks she is going to puke.... how many more years of this do I have to look forward to?

Pantry 2011

2011-06-03T09:27:00.007-08:00

Papa Paul is here, and boy has he been busy!

Our pantry went from this:

We told Kiley this was going to be her new bedroom....

To this:

We told Papa Paul this was going to be his bedroom too..... Actually I told him
"No Pepsi for you until this is done!"

To finally THIS!!! Perfection, beauty.... ORGANIZATION! Space!

We now have the prettiest pantry in town, just in time to stock it full with our Spring Barge order!

Student of the YEAR!!!

2011-06-02T19:50:00.006-08:00

Yes, that is correct. Blake was chosen not only as Student of the Year but also as the Academic Student of the Year for 2011. I was told he was chosen "hands down", just sayin'..... an almost mom to a teenage boy has to brag you know.

I was surprised and he was too fast for me to get a good picture!

Blake worked his butt off this year to make up 6 credits- on top of doing his regular Junior Year school work. Hence the Academic Student of the Year honors.

Blake, to say the least is very mild mannered and um, quiet. I have said many, many times this year he is the "polar opposite" of his brother Matthew. It is no exaggeration- one is very outgoing and going, going, going... the other content to chill and work on his computer.

Basically chilling at his awards ceremony with Sis.....

Needless to say, we are very, very proud. Our spring was a little rough, and this award made it all worth it.

Kiley in Anchorage!

2011-05-24T10:50:00.006-08:00

The plan was for me to take Kiley to Anchorage and she would spend a few days with her Auntie Jeanette while I was at a conference in Girdwood. That was the plan.....until my conference got cancelled.

We didn't think Kiley would want to go into Anchorage by herself.

We were wrong. She told everyone she got to go to Anchorage "all by herself" and even wrote a story about it at school.

Kiley left Sunday morning (I wouldn't let Jon leave the airport until the plane left the ground) and we have barely heard a PEEP out of her this entire time! Kiley do you want to talk to your mom? NOPE Kiley do you want to talk to your Dad? NOPE Kiley do you want to talk to your Sister? NOPE

Hog heaven+being spoiled rotten by her Aunt= no homesickness whatsover and not wanting to talk on the phone for even a second.

Here are a few of their adventures so far.

First stop "Lippa Heaven" aka Wal-Mart

Second stop: Dog Park! (Note the fancy new white shorts)
3-D Movie! With pop and popcorn!

We hope to see her again Wednesday.... if she will get on the airplane that is.

Pee Wee Wrestler- in Video!

2011-05-20T12:43:00.002-08:00

You can see the power in her stride....

Pull Up Head Strikes Again!

2011-05-17T11:10:00.002-08:00

Kalin showing us her crazy moves when she was two, which really wasn't that long ago!

Look at her moves, she doesn't "think" she can dance, she knows it!

Kindergarten Hot Dog Run, 2011

2011-05-17T11:04:00.002-08:00

Try not to listen to the crazy woman screaming too much. No one could contain her.

See how fast she ran? Her shoe came off!

Prom 2011

2011-05-17T07:59:00.003-08:00

Somehow Jon talked Blake into going to Prom this year (no Dumb and Dumber costumes, remember what it took for M. to go to Prom?). He waffled back and forth, back and forth and finally decided that he would go.
A few hours before the dance he told Jon he would need some "lessons" in slow dancing. This cracked me up. Jon tried to show him without me- can you picture it? Yeah, I died too. So when I got home Jon cranked up Alisha Keys' "No One" and we busted our moves. I warned him that his date might try to get a little frisky (aka stealing a kiss or two), I even modeled.... Jon didn't seem to mind. I offered to show Blaker how to dance, he turned about 10 shades of red and passed.

I think overall he had a great time and going to Prom at least once is an experience every high school student should have. The Tracker has made it to Prom three times, actually made it home to our house only twice. We were happy we didn't have to find it in a pit at Aleknagik the morning after Prom.

But to end on a bright note....I think Blake made the right decision to go to Prom. He cleans up pretty good.

Hot Dog Run!

2011-05-16T07:22:00.004-08:00

Kiley ran her very first Hot Dog Run (if you don't know what that is- you run a set distance, and get a hot dog as your reward at the end of the race!) last week. She was so pumped she ran her little heart out, so fast she lost her shoe right at the end! She told me that when she runs "really, really fast" her shoe always comes off.

For some reason I can't get our movie to upload then you can hear my crazy voice-- I was just as pumped as she was. She was a little nervous before the race and told me she didn't think she could run it, I gave her some sound Mom advice but in my head I was thinking, "Really? I've been waiting 6 years for you to run this race."

I couldn't have been prouder, my baby got second place in her class. Go Kiley!

They had so much fun the first race the girls ran again!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-09T23:19:00.004-08:00

What a wonderful day. The whole family together minus just a few key family members.

I think Gram was in hog heaven with all her grandchildren together in one place.

A priceless picture, they grow up too fast!

Wood Splitting!

2011-05-03T08:23:00.007-08:00

We go through a lot of wood in the winter, um, it gets cold here. Oil is expensive, as is electricity!

Since we are down to about one row of wood in our wood shed that holds about 4 chords I thought it was about time for us to start splitting the wood Jon and Blake have been off getting this spring.

My mother-in-law has told me many times that you can get a lot done in just an hour. So, with that in mind, I gathered up my troops (Blake,Kiley and Kalin) and headed out to chop some wood! We got about a row done in an hour of work. Plus we all got outside for some fresh air and a little sunshine.

It has been pretty busy around here with our travel schedules and other commitments but we are getting it done!

Jon said we just need to make sure to leave some wood for Bonnie when she is here in August. She might not want to stay for a month if we don't have wood for her to split for an hour every day.
Don't worry GB, we will have plenty for you to split!

Clouse Tacos

2011-04-22T07:17:00.005-08:00

These are Clouse Tacos. Lippa smelling, giggly, loud, full of energy, silly tacos.

This is how we roll em at the House of Clouse. Actually Jon rolls them. Once rolled nice and tight they work it and work it and work it until they get out.

I'd say we make them about every month or so- these crazy Clouses love them. The tighter the wrap the better.
Kiley thinks she looks like a salmon.... she does have a pretty good imagination.

Planting... finally!

2011-04-20T14:24:00.009-08:00

We still can't get into the green house, and there is still tons of snow. BUT we did thaw out our potting soil and we found some pots and other planting paraphernalia in the garage.

Kiley even got in on the action- she planted marigolds. They still haven't come up, so we might have to start again. Marigolds are usually the first to come up aren't they?
Sis took this picture. Thats me planting my gladiolas- man they were already sprouting!

See? Not the best picture, but you can see those sprouts.

We planted marigolds, gladiolas, broccoli, lettuce, some petunias, lupine and an herb garden. We stick them in front of our deck doors.

This is what has sprouted so far:

Broccoli (we have high hopes this year-- we discovered it needs a ton of light!)
and some Marigolds, or I think they are anyway. We'll see.

We also have some Dill and Basil growing in our herb garden! So far our planting season is off to a so-so start but we are still very hopeful for some amazing results this year in our garden!

Visitors

2011-04-19T07:37:00.006-08:00

Look who came back for a visit this spring. Our old friends the moose. They are a mama cow and her calve, respectively. This must be the same cow that has visited us for the past couple of years, I hope she isn't offended that we can't tell (they all do look alike you know). We must have some tasty trees.
They came to visit right about the time Kiley was going to be walking home from school, of course Sis was still sleeping so I had Blake go and pick her up. That night at dinner I was asking Kiley what she would do if she "ran into" a moose on her way home from school. Before she could say anything Sis said, "SHOOT IT!"
Now there is an Alaskan girl!

Desperate

2011-04-11T22:21:00.006-08:00

Let me start this by telling you that it was 10 degrees at our house this morning when we woke up. Ten, t-e-n. It is April 12th.

It always seems like an act of desperation this time of year- planting that is. Desperate to feel dirt, warm sun and to see GREEN things growing.

We could feel it though so Jon and I decided that we were going to do some planting on Sunday. We broke out the seeds, and then decided to look for our potting soil. We faced our first hurdle there. The potting soil was stored outside under the back deck and was pretty much frozen solid.

Second hurdle- I usually store my pots in our crawl space but this year we thought it would be a great idea to store them in our newly constructed green house. Perfect, no dirt in the house! Easy access! Right?

Um... wrong.

This is our green house. As of yesterday. Yes it is covered in snow, lots and lots of snow.

See that little crack at the top of the door? I could peek in and see the temperature in the green house- it was 64 degrees in there. Ahhh, we won't feel that heat until at least June.

Third hurdle: Jon and I thought we could easily dig out the door so we dug this path. Cute isn't it? I was thinking whoo hoo planting here we come! Then Jon discovered the 6 inches of ice covering the bottom of the door and my dreams of planting went down the tube.

Spring in Alaska..... gotta love it!

It's Official

2011-04-09T15:06:00.010-08:00

I'm sick of snow.

Don't get me wrong, it has been a fabulous winter. Actually an amazing winter, we couldn't ask for better. But winter is over. It is spring now.... that was official March 20th.

This week we have had snow storm after snow storm with wind and rain mixed in. We have woken up 4 out of 7 days with fresh snow on our deck- like 5 inches of FRESH snow.

We've had some great walks. It is always good to get the kids out for some fresh air.

The dogs even loved the walks, especially Kami.

We built some great tunnels-- kind of like snow mice or something.

Towing was a huge hit-- hours and hours of fun.

Of course we can't forget about sledding-- what a way to burn off some energy! Kiley must have ran up and down this hill enough times for all of us.

As beautiful as this is I am ready for it to all melt away. Soon. I'm ready for some brown mud and then some bright green. In a few months I hope to be picking berries right here on this tundra.

The best day ever.....

2011-03-31T17:05:00.008-08:00

Our baby is THREE! (she wore her birthday dress for three days in a row... thanks Gram!)

She will remember this as the birthday that went on and on and on! Birthday packages with candy, money and lots of cool things. She is so spoiled :)

We had a "Super Why" party for her this year-- she also wanted "Scoobie Doo" and "Tom & Jerry" too. "Super Why" won out.

It was supposed to be a simple little party.... then it turned out to be a beautiful day and I had to make everyone go sledding.

And when you end up with this many kids at a party, it is never that simple. Fun, but not simple. It was such a fun day..... perfect for our three year old!

Cousins

2011-03-21T14:45:00.009-08:00

How Kiley and Kalin enjoy their cousins. Every one of them. The ones that are close and the ones that are far away.... and even the ones that Kiley thinks are her cousins (a totally different post, but if someone is Camryn's cousin, they are automatically Kiley's cousin too).

The week that Rikki and Olivia were here it was heavenonearth for every single one of them. I just wish they had more time like this together.

Silly, happy, girly.... all the time

Two weeks apart....

This group played so hard allllll day I think it took them about 2 minutes to crash into a deep, deeeeep sleep.
See?
We didn't have to make one threat or talk to them even once....
I couldn't help but think about what it is going to be like in 10 years, when they are all teenagers or really close to being teenagers.

BRU 2011

2011-03-13T20:19:00.007-08:00

Beaver Round Up 2011 in beautiful Dillingham, Alaska! The traditional time when our trappers headed back to Dillingham to sell their furs (mainly beaver) and congregate in the big city. This year marked the 51st celebration and it was one of the best, ever.

What a week with gorgeous spring (Alaska) weather! Blue skies going on (dare I say it?) at least 2 weeks now with temperatures hovering around 20 degrees. We couldn't have asked for better weather for our spring vacation. To top it off we had cousins from Anchorage come for a visit.

We did everything and anything you can do outside in Alaska in March. The amount of activities for BRU alone were mind boggling.

Let's see if I can list all we did outside during our break.....

Skiing
Sledding
Towing w/ Snow Machine
Snow-machining
Dog Mushing- watching
Skating
Snow-Machine Races
Building Snow Tunnels

I wish we would have been able to go out ice fishing but we just couldn't fit that one in. We will have to save that trip for another day.

Sledding at our favorite hill- with two of our favorite cousins

Dog Mushing

Kiley racing her snowmachine

Kalin trying skating for the first time, can you see the joy?

Introducing.....

2011-03-10T09:19:00.004-09:00

The 2011 winner of the Beaver Round-Up Baby Walk!

I thought this was going to be just one of those events where I got to dress up Sis and let her do her thing, just for the fun of it. We found out that there were prizes involved once we got there, whoohoo!

Sis was so excited about doing the "baby walk".... mainly because we promised her Gobstoppers if she did it. She was so excited to get out on the stage, and walked out waving and smiling. Then, as I was talking to someone back stage she decided she wanted to go back out so she ran back on to the stage (when it was another baby's turn) to wave and smile some more. Geez :)

So to make a long story short miss Kalin won in the 23-36 month division- she got a prize and was disappointed when going through her loot that there weren't any Gobstoppers in her bag. Her Dad made sure to get her Gobstoppers on the way home :).

Skiing

2011-03-07T09:02:00.007-09:00

The skiing has been unbelievable for the past few weeks. Blue skies, 20 degree temperature and all the snow I want. Heaven. February and March are such awesome months in SW Alaska- tons of light and temperatures that allow you to do all kind of fun things outside.

I went out a few days ago and decided to take a different skiing route than I am used to. It was a little longer than I anticipated- I was out skiing for about an hour and a half. Not that I am complaining, it was an amazing evening. Evening opportunities like this justify exactly why we live here. Where else can you strap on your skiis and literally ski from your house for hours and hours?

I wanted to get closer to those mountains.

My pictures just can't do justice to how pretty it was out there!

I wanted to get closer to Warehouse Mountain, and there it was, *sigh* engulfed in a beautiful sunset.

Now my master plan is to find skis for my girls and get them addicted- then we will be skiing partners for life!

Posers

2011-03-02T18:13:00.005-09:00

Ah we are such posers.

We each got a new hat from Amma Bossy and had to show her how good we looked in them.

Some of us are getting pretty good at this posing thing, and look pretty darn cute.

Then there are those of us that have been doing it for a while.

Toothless and all!

It's very addicting.....

2011-02-22T10:59:00.003-09:00

The iPad, its very addicting.

She jumped all around me and asked to play it until I gave in.

Then she had to do some business.

But it was vitally important to keep practicing her letters.

Technology at its finest.

You Can't Stop Time....

2011-02-21T22:19:00.006-09:00

36 candles..... wow. The cake says "Happy Birthday Mommy From Kiley & Kalin." It includes a ton of sprinkles, imagine Tinker Bell throwing up.... that is kind of what happened to this cake. Two little girls decorating, it can't be helped.

I spent the morning of my birthday in Juneau, where I got surprised by a group of librarians , and a friend of mine, who sung me "Happy Birthday." I got to spend some time with an old friend and his significant other and then the rest of the day was spent trying to get home. Delay after delay got me home at about 7:30, very pooped. Two excited girls "helped" me open my presents, and despite the fact that I had a beautiful cake to eat the girls had to go to bed.

We celebrated in a simple way today with a taco dinner with cake and ice cream following. Kiley asked me two or three times today when my "party" was going to be and "which kids were going to be coming" hahaha. I told her Mommy was too old for parties and it was just going to be her and Kalin at our house.
It was perfect, I am so lucky. Lucky the house didn't burn down too from all those candles. My Dad told me that time moving ahead is much better than the alternate. Yeah, I'm kind of lucky.

Child Labor....

2011-02-08T07:45:00.005-09:00

It has been snowing so much we had to enlist the children of the household to shovel snow.

They don't seem to mind the first few times it snows. It is kind of fun. But then it becomes something like work and chores. Blah blah wah wah.....
We all must do our part and they look so cute doing theirs :).

Guess who was Student of the Week!?

2011-02-06T19:44:00.007-09:00

I never wanted to be one of those parents. I said I never would be. As a teacher, of course before I had my own perfect children, I vowed to never, never do it. I would never be the parent to question why my child hasn't been chosen as Student of the Week. But I did. *Sigh* I think Jon and I were more excited for Kiley to get chosen than she was, we couldn't wait! And she wasn't even sure what it was... or what it meant.

But I have to question no more. My baby was Student of the Week on Friday! She got to stand in front of the elementary school and get a certificate. She really didn't get the whole process, but she thought it was pretty cool to stand up there and get a pencil.

I was as proud of Kiley as if it was me standing up there getting that certificate, I even got a little teary eyed. Her teacher said she was enthusiastic, positive and a big help with the other students in her class. Words that make her parents hearts sing.

S~N~O~W!

2011-02-05T09:06:00.008-09:00

It has been dumping snow on us like you would NOT believe. I hardly believe it. It seems like we haven't seen this much snow for a long, long time. One of my friends in New Stuyahok used to tell me when it would snow this much, "Good, lots of snow means lots of berries this summer!" If that is the case we are going to have a record number of berries this year!

No where in the forecast were we warned that we were going to be getting this much snow.... I think somewhere around 12-14 inches in one night. Jon stuck a tape measurer on our deck to see how much had fallen.

Usually when we get this much snow it warms up to the high twenties or thirties, but it has stayed cold. Our temperatures have been fluctuating between 10 and 15 degrees, which is perfect. Just the way we like it. Now I just need a trail and I am off to go skiing!

Our little bird feeder can't handle much more snow!

Sis is actually sitting down, but the snow easily comes up to her mid chest.

The trees are gorgeous with their frosting of snow

The trail to the woods....

This much snow fell in one night! Poor little Tracker....

Heading to the Bus

2011-02-03T08:27:00.007-09:00

I adjusted my schedule to do some different things at work this week, so I am working mid-day. This means Kiley and Blake have to catch the bus in the morning, which is a little bit of a hike from our house. So we all geared up, gathered our flashlights and walked down to the Bus Stop.

Geared up? Every morning the girls wear their snow pants, boots, warm coat, hats and gloves just to leave the house. When it is in the 20's outside, or colder I caution on the safe side and dress for the weather. I just know the one day I decide they don't need all their gear on their bus will break down or the truck will.... just the mom in me I guess.

It was a gorgeous morning, hovering around 20 degrees with some fresh snow.

Did I say Kalin walked to the Bus Stop? HA! She took about 5 steps and then into the sled she went.
We have so much snow it is almost covering up the little house they built for the kids to wait in!

It feels good to get out and stretch our legs, get a little color into our faces first thing in the morning!

Cousins

2011-01-28T16:47:00.003-09:00

Our K's and C's.... aren't they adorable?

Toothless

2011-01-23T20:01:00.004-09:00

This is tooth #3 that has gone missing. What a difference one missing tooth makes on this girls face. She looks so much older!

There wasn't too much drama after the first one came out. We got the string tied around that one AND tied to the door. As I was heading to get the camera to document the serious event of losing the first tooth, somehow Kiley "forgot" turned her head and out it came.

I seriously thought she was going to lose it with the second loose tooth. There was much screaming and freaking out , tears beyond anything I could comprehend and even some body shaking. But it came out.

This third tooth, loose on the top, stayed loose for what seemed like months. I think in its final days it was hanging by hope. Jon got it into his mind that it was going to get infected, and convinced Kiley that if she didn't pull it out she was going to have to go to the Dentist and not only get it pulled but get a shot too.

He won (he also threw in there she could go to a movie, get candy AND drink pop if she let him pull it).

The Box

2011-01-22T18:24:00.005-09:00

A while back Jon brought home a box.

Not just any box, but a big box. The kind of box that kids love. The kind they can't get enough of. The kind they make into forts, get to color on and hide in.

Do you know what I am talking about?

The kind of box that if you were to get something big in it for Christmas or your birthday and you were about 2 you would probably play with the box rather than the "something."

Kalin loved it, loved hiding in it, hiding her "stuff" in it and she really liked drawing on it.

One day she decided that she would stick her hand out of the box and wave at me. See that cute little hand there? I wish I had an arrow to point to it.

"Hi MOM!" she said. "Guess where I am?"

Very soon her excitement turned into tears, then screams for, "MOM MOM MOM!!!"

Please. Don't. Judge. Me.

You know you would do the same thing. I got the camera before I helped get her unstuck. This picture is priceless.

Introducing.....

2011-01-11T17:44:00.002-09:00

Baby Boy LeClair on 1-11-11, what an amazing, awesome birthday!

*Sigh* he doesn't have a name yet, but he's finally here. Three days past his due date, but better late than never right?

He weighed in at 9 lbs, 2 ounces and 22 inches long! 2-2-2 perfect!

Chef Kalin and her Tea Parties

2011-01-10T18:04:00.004-09:00

My daughter is a budding chef. This week alone she helped me cook brownies and jello (with marshmallows, her extra special touch). I see a future for her in baking- she might be the next Rachel Ray, she definitely has the personality for it.

She not only cooks, she has tea parties. They are highly exclusive. Please don't be hurt if you aren't invited. I'm not invited, and I am her mother.

I think you need to be purple and fuzzy, or something like that.

Aaah, the bed

2011-01-05T22:20:00.006-09:00

The comforter, the sheets, the size. The whole family has fallen in love with Kiley's "new" bed.

Gram and Papa got the new sheets. Kiley, "HOW did Gram know that this is my favoritest colors? (light blue and green)
Auntie Jen got the new comforter. Kiley, "It's so smoooothe!"

For a few days after Christmas even Kalin was sleeping in her sisters bed... but tonight? I'm afraid no one is. I had such high hopes. I guess you can't win every night, right?

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T18:04:00.009-09:00

Sis thought the fireworks were "too loud!"

It is hard to believe that 2011 is already here! I must say that 2010 was a fabulous year, but I am not sad to see it go. I'm looking forward to all that 2011 has to offer- many adventures lay ahead of us!
We spent New Years Eve at our good friends' house, The Ito's. We had a fabulous time talking, eating, playing the Wii and did I mention eating? Holy cow did we eat! What great food-- it seemed like we grazed for hours!

We had quite the snow storm, as you can see by the pictures. Lighting the fire crackers was very interesting- Steve (our host) broke out the blow torch to light them up. Kiley thought that was the coolest!

Time flew by and before we knew it it was around 11:00 pm, the kids were doing great so we stayed and brought in the New Year at their house. I think this is the first time either Kiley or Kalin have stayed up so late! The whole family slept in until 10:00, and Kiley slept until almost 11:00!

Happy New Year to you and yours. We hope you have a wonderful 2011!

Breaking Trail

2010-12-31T17:58:00.004-09:00

After a winter of being too lazy to ski, I decided enough was enough and broke my skis out of storage. The snow has been perfect, and the temperature just right, I just couldn't resist. It felt really good to get out there and get some exercise and fresh air.

Last night we had a big snow storm and got a couple more inches of snow, which covered up all of the snowmachine trails I follow. My lovely family geared up and broke trail for me so I could head out again today.

Kiley even got to drive her own snowmachine, she's kind of an expert this winter.

It is so nice being able to step out our front door and snowmachine and ski wherever and whenever we want.

Dance, Dance, Dance

2010-12-29T22:33:00.007-09:00

This is only a small glimpse into the dancing that occurs at the House of Clouse, check it out...

The Snow-Go Sleds.....

2010-12-28T18:50:00.009-09:00

Sis has been telling people, "My Papa and Gram bought me a snow-go for Christmas!"

I have to correct that and tell them, "A snow-go sled."

She can only wish, and if she wasn't such a chicken she would see that her g0-go sled goes pretty fast, almost as fast as a real snow-go! (Not really, but when you are two it kind of seems like it!)

It took Jon about an hour apiece with each sled, and with the "help" of the 6 year old and the 2 year old. As soon as they were put together we got our gear on and headed to our favorite winter sledding spot.We were lucky enough that Uncle Max and Camryn came with us! The icing on the cake were two of Camryn's cousins came too--- it was sledding heaven!
You can't tell by this picture of Cam going down the hill... but it was about Zero degrees outside, yes 0- as in almost negative!
Let me tell you that just little butts belong on this Go-Go sled, Mommy butts are not allowed. I don't have a picture of me heading down the sled, and for that, I am thankful.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-27T18:55:00.003-09:00

A few days late but we have been enjoying our time at home so much it has been hard to get on the computer and post pictures! We have been sleeping late, eating our weight in holiday food (mostly junk food) and just enjoying all our new toys. Our girls are so lucky to be loved (spoiled rotten!) by so many people- we are so very thankful.

The temps have been really cold here during these last few weeks in December- I think the lowest was -5, but mostly hovering around 0. That hasn't stopped us from getting outside though! These two girls go bonkers if they don't get out at least once a day. We've been going for walks, snowmachine rides and we broke in the new "snow-go" sleds from Papa and Gram (I'll post about that tomorrow).

Winter Solstice

2010-12-23T18:26:00.004-09:00

I'm a few days late on blogging about the Winter Solstice, but I didn't miss it this year! At this time of year we are getting about 5 hours of daylight- the sun rises about 10:30 and sets at about 4:30.

We had a great time celebrating the shortest day of the year- big bonfire, great friends, lots of good food and laughs. Jon asked what is with me and celebrating these pagan holidays? (I love the summer solstice too!) He said it must be the witch in me....

Despite the cold temperature (about 5 degrees) we managed to have a very fun night-- you really can't go wrong with a bonfire and friends. We are excited to say goodbye to losing light and start gaining! Come on sunshine!

La la la la.... Caroling in December

2010-12-17T07:41:00.006-09:00

Last weekend we went caroling with all the Girl Scouts in Dillingham. It was about 12 degrees and WINDY-- so chances are the temp was about 0 to -5 temps. Brrrr.

We dressed for the temperature, meaning lots of layers and warm clothes. I've decided we aren't going to let the elements dictate what we do and don't do outside, unless of course the elements are really, really dangerous (like icing fog, blizzards with gusting wind up to 60 mph... etc)

We walked to all of our local stores and then our last stop was "Grandma's House" which is our local assisted living home. The girls did such a wonderful job, and many of the elders enjoyed having them and hearing their voices.

Both of my girls enjoyed the experience- and it was wonderful to get out and soak up some sun (hah) and get a little red into our cheeks.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

2010-12-10T09:51:00.006-09:00

It's been a busy week... wait, a busy month! Bazaars, meetings, Christmas Programs, caroling.... it is just busy busy with so many things to do!

This week we had Kiley's first Christmas program to attend. I asked her what her class was singing and she said, "Um, I don't know... something about a rooftop." I bet you can figure out what song it is, we'll have a clip and pictures for the program later.

I got this picture by telling them I would let them have more candy canes... bribery always works with these two!

We went to our district staff party earlier this week and the girls got to see Santa, and Kiley sat on his lap. Not Sis..... she loves Santa until she actually sees him, then it is another story. As soon as she knows he's at least 10 miles away from her she starts screaming, "I want to sit on SANTA's LAP!!" She's a smart one, that Sis. Kiley doesn't think so though- "Kalin how is Santa going to know what to BRING you? You have to TELL him!"

She's got it all figured out, that Kiley.

Travelin'

2010-12-07T09:14:00.001-09:00

Ekwok Sunset

I've been doing some traveling this Fall/Winter.... and seen some very pretty sites in SW Alaska.

Flying.....

Beautiful Aleknagik

Just a few of the many reasons we live in this beautiful state, in this neck of the woods.

Pull-Up Head

2010-12-06T13:26:00.004-09:00

Remember Pull Up head?

I miss her. We haven't seen Miss Pull Up Head in months and months.

Now we pretty much just see hungry bears and little puppies.... they are cute and all, but they just can't compare to Pull Up Head.

It's Winter

2010-11-29T15:14:00.005-09:00

We've been having some strange weather lately here in SW Alaska- rain, icey rain, snow and rain.... well I guess it isn't that strange. Maybe just "yucky" is a better way to put it. We went to bed one night and had a temperature of around 20 degrees, when we woke up it was about 40 degrees. Four days of rain and all of our snow melted away, and now it is cold again. Regardless of the temperature outside- we do our best to get out there and at least get our cheeks rosy.

When we still had snow we took the snowmachine to one of our local stores to go grocery shopping- yes we did.Here's a picture from me in the sled to prove it.

We also took one of our weekly excursion to our local "waterfall" which is just a hop, jump and a skip from our house...... and not really a waterfall at all. More like water backed up in a creek, frozen on top- but the girls call it a waterfall and who are we to correct them?

I mean look how much fun they have when we go!

Our time outdoors is getting shorter and shorter- with less and less daylight out side. The sun rises at about 10:00 a.m. and sets about 5:00 p.m.

Feeding the Chickens

2010-11-25T11:55:00.005-09:00

In honor of Thanksgiving, I shall blog about one of our favorite past times of late- feeding the chickens. I'm not sure why I am thinking it is in "honor" of Thanksgiving, but it has something to do with the fact that we eat a bird on turkey day and chickens are in fact, a bird.

Sis loves chickens, just like her Momma. So on a regular basis she asks to "go feed the chickens." Luckily one of my friends' daughters has chickens... so we save our food scraps and once the bucket is full off we go. They are enclosed in a fence and housed in a really nice coop.

These chickens are very well taken care of-- their owner, Alethia, is quite the chicken keeper. Her parents call her the "Chicken Whisperer." She's got a knack, a special way with them. Sis got her to pick them up a few times, so she could "pet" the chickens.
I know Bonnie will just get a kick out of watching her, and most likely the chickens strutting around in the snow.

Winter Walk

2010-11-14T20:45:00.005-09:00

Winter is here-- we've got the snow and ice to prove it.

Kiley and Kalin were bouncing off each other and the walls this afternoon so we set off outside for a little walk down to the creek. It was a little colder than we thought it was, due to the wind, so we didn't stay as long as we had originally planned.

A nice walk that got the yah-yahs out, just what a winter walk needs to do.

Drive to Aleknagik

2010-11-13T18:55:00.005-09:00

I spent half the day in Aleknagik earlier this week. I drove about 17 miles from my house to one of the most beautiful places on earth, I can never get over how beautiful this community is. It takes my breath away every time I go there- my little pictures never do it justice.

During my drive up and back I couldn't get over how the trees were twinkling-- the sun was shining just right on the frost to make me smile the whole way. I wish I could have capture just how pretty those little twinkles were....

Warming up....

2010-11-12T09:04:00.008-09:00

Sis really seems to be warming up to Blake.

"Blake I wanna sit on your lap."

"Blake you know what? I saw a moose indawoods."

"BLAKE!!! It's time to waaaaake uppp!"

I didn't take the picture, but it looks like Sis got Blake to read her a beloved Clifford book. Yup, it's official. She's warmed up to him and he is definitely starting to fit into the House of Clouse.

It's a Tea Party

2010-11-11T12:13:00.005-09:00

Kiley received a late present last weekend for her birthday, it was all she could think and play with for the entire weekend. A beautiful tea set, perfect for little hands and delicious tea.

On Sunday morning she wouldn't stop bugging me for Amma Bossy's phone number. I had to ask what she was calling for and she said, "Mom, Amma Bossy loves tea, so we need to have a tea party with my tea set!"

So by golly that is just what they did!

Mom my head's hurtin'

2010-11-04T10:50:00.004-08:00

The picture says it all... its one of those kinds of days.

Too much candy?!

2010-11-04T08:58:00.005-08:00

I'm not sure what exactly who/what the culprit is, but poor Sis woke up with a 102 fever and the pukes. Candy hangover? The flu?

Yesterday she was bouncing around like a typical 2 year old, laid down for a great nap and slept for at least 2 hours. I had big plans for a walk out in the crisp (aka cold and windy) November weather as soon as Kiley got home, and she woke up.... unfortunately that didn't happen.

She woke up telling me her head was "hurtin'." After much cuddling and soothing I ended up screaming for a "puke bowl" to Kiley and Blake and scrambling for Ibuprofin.

Ahh, such is life.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:06:00.005-08:00

Halloween 2010!

A witch, a teddy bear topped off with Ketchup & Mustard. Does it get any happier than that? Maybe with Blake thrown in there as a hot dog, but he wasn't going for it. Maybe we can change his mind next year.

It's hard to imagine a time when our children aren't going to be excited about Halloween. Does this ever happen? Kiley was so excited she could barely contain herself, and this is the first year that Sis actually understands what Halloween is. I could see her putting it all together in that tiny brain; "I dress up, say trick or treat and someone gives me candy? Heck YEAH!"

I am wondering how long it is going to take until they crash from the sugar high(s)... and how am I ever going to manage their sugar intake tomorrow? Should I even try? A plight parents all across America are pondering right now....

It's a Daisy

2010-10-26T21:21:00.003-08:00

Kiley is the one with the mask on, see her? In the middle?

Our big girl is now an official Daisy Girl Scout.

What ask you does it mean to be a Daisy Girl Scout? Well let me tell you. She must live by the Girl Scout Law... which includes helping others. She must also learn songs, create (as in crafts), eat snacks and play nicely with her friends. Girl Scouts is a wonderful opportunity for her to interact with her peers in a kindly manner--which I love and encourage.

We have our first Girl Scout gathering this Saturday, which is Juliet Lowe's birthday. If you don't know who Juliet Lowe is, she is the founder of Girl Scouts- you learn something new every day. I bet you didn't know that when Juliet was a young girl her name was Daisy? Hence the youngest group of Girl Scouts being "Daisies."

Kalin is loving Girl Scouts too, but more because she gets to go to the "big school" than anything else. She is not loving, however, having to wake up from her nap in a timely manner so we can go and do our C0-Leader duties at the big school. She is in fact, quite the cranky pants. But I know how she feels, I don't like waking up from naps either. Such is life.

2-2-2 Cute!

2010-10-24T14:57:00.007-08:00

What is it about a 2 year-old that makes them so endearing?

Just look at these two year olds.... What makes them so cute?

Could it be the sucker? The hair? The fit she threw when I took the sucker away?

Camryn Taylor at 2, she's 11 now

Is it the smile? The lack of hair? The fit she threw when I took the lippa away, the lippa she loved but ate?

Kiley Jeanette at 2, she's 6 now

The cute shoes they have to wear, even though they are too small? The shirts they won't give up, even when Auntie Babe asks, "Does she have more than one butterfly shirt or does she wear this one all the time?"

Miss Kalin... she's 2 RIGHT NOW

Maybe its what they say?

Like "See you later Crocodile!" when you are leaving instead of "See you later Alligator!"?

Or

"Mom did you fall into a booby track?" aka "Booby Trap"

Or

"Uncle Schnax" for Uncle Max

Or maybe it is just because they belong to us. They just can't help but be cute.

Crazy hair....

2010-10-17T19:05:00.007-08:00

So this morning Sis melted my heart, the little stinker. She grabbed my face with both of her hands and said, "Mom you are be u ti ful." Just as sincere as could be. Then she said, "But your hair is craaazy Mom." I don't care about the last part, it was.

So I posted this little comment on Facebook, and almost immediately after I did my Aunt Bossy called me. She was watching Kalin for the three days I was out of town this week. Come to find out Kalin said almost the exact thing to her on Friday! She was wondering where Kalin could have thought up telling us we were beautiful? Was Jon coaching her to tell her Mom she was beautiful? What goes through that little mind? We never can tell what is going to come out of that mouth! The bottom line was I didn't care I just going to go with it!

I don't have a picture of my crazy hair this morning, but I have a picture of Sis's crazy hair! So here's one for the records Sis, you beautiful talking little girl!

Horns!

2010-10-13T06:54:00.004-08:00

Kalin has been wanting me to fix her "horns" lately. This has something to do with her being 2...

I jump at the chance to fix her hair. Horns or not. End of story.

Welcome to the Family

2010-10-12T11:10:00.006-08:00

If you haven't heard we have acquired another teenager. The word is out- The Clouses take teenagers. We're on our third, people think we are crazy. Little do they know that when our girls are teenagers these boys are going to be our eyes and ears, keeping our teenage girls in LINE!

This teenager was actually referred to us from another teenager, who happens to be his older brother, who also happened to have lived with us for a few years.

His name is Blake.

As you can see he has made himself quite comfortable in the last few weeks. He prefers a different piece of furniture when compared to his brother. Matthew preferred to crash out on the chair, but you know who am I to judge? Whatever floats your boat. I can never figure out boys.

He has fit in quite nicely at the Clouse House. Jon has spent quite a lot of time with him- driving lessons, hunting, yard work, Algebra II homework, etc. He is quiet, and likes his computer time- quite the opposite of his older brother.

Matthew- loud, lots of friends ALL the time, in and out of the house, didn't eat much while he was at home, etc.

Blake- very quiet, some friends sometimes, at home, eats like a typical teenage boy (which is a LOT).

We think we are going to keep him. He fits right in.

Note to Blake: if you fall asleep in the living room and Shannon is around, she will take pictures, lot's of pictures. She will post them on the blog.

Almost.... but not quite

2010-10-10T14:51:00.004-08:00

Winter has been knocking at our door here in SW Alaska. Not too loud yet, but she's getting more and more persistent.

We've had a few really cold nights and woken up to some serious frost (enough so that I had to scrape off the car, gasp!). Last night it got down to 21 degrees, and it has warmed up to about 36.

It even tried to snow for a few days. My crazy kids sure had fun making prints in the "snow".... I think they might be ready for winter. At least someone in our house is!