First Day of Preschool!

Kiley went to her first day of Preschool today. She was so excited! There was a big bump in the road when she discovered that I wasn't in the classroom anymore and went looking for me (I did tell her that I was changing Kalin's diaper). She was very worried (freaked out) and threw a mini tantrum and screamed, "I want to go home!" We luckily got over it and were able to resume the fun that was going on in the classroom. Kiley made a bug hat, painted a caterpillar and got to sing, "that ant song." She also got to hold hands with a buddy and go out to recess. She also got to have a snack and learn a new Native Dance. What fun!

Well Baby Check-Up

Kalin Dawn had her 6 week check up on Monday. She is 12.5 lbs (gained 4 lbs) and 23 inches long!! Yes she is a very healthy girl!!

Me & My Girls

We got out for a walk the other night- 40 degree weather and rain, but what are you going to do? Kiley enjoys being outside in any kind of weather, just look at those rosy cheeks! Jon has been keeping track of the rainy/cloudy days versus the sunshine days and hands down the rainy/cloudy days are winning! My Colorado boy just can't handle the Southwest Alaska weather, and I admit it gets to me at times too! But this is the time of year when we have light from 6:00 am until almost 11:00 pm, it is still crisp outside and there are no bugs. All the birds are coming back, the snow is melting, there is just promise of green right around the corner. I just hope our summer is warmer than our winter, we deserve it!

Is your snow gone yet?

I seem to get this question a lot, "Has your snow melted yet?". Ahhh no, negative, still here! It is melting fast now with the rain and some sunshine we have gotten. This is what it looked like in front of our house last week, some of it is gone but it still looks very white.

Dad and his girls

Here are a few good pictures of Jon with his two girls. Kiley wanted to make sure that "Baby" was looking at the camera too, so she kept pushing her cheeks. She is taking to baby Kalin more and more every day and I think enjoying being a big sister. My mom told me that when Max was born all she can remember is that I wanted to hold him all the time. Kiley is like that too- she wants to hold Kalin all the time and gives her up only if she has pooped, makes her too hot or starts screaming bloody murder.

Life with Papa Paul

We are really enjoying having Papa Paul here in Dillingham. Kiley love having him here. She gets to spend most afternoons with him when I head back to work part time. They are watching movies, painting, drawing, reading books, going outside for walks- I think both of them are in hog heaven with each other! Kiley is not going to be happy when Papa Paul has to go home to Colorado!

I DID IT!!!! Finally!

I can't believe I finally did it- but yes I have actually completed all requirements for my Masters degree! Graduation was on Saturday, and I was able to walk at UAF's extended Bristol Bay campus here in Dillingham. I was one of two Master candidates. I am so stoked, and so happy to finally be done. Both of my girls wore dresses, (yes Kiley actually wore a dress!) and Jon, Paul, Auntie Bossy and Auntie Babe all attended the ceremony. Jon threw me a nice BBQ and we got to play poker into the wee (well "wee" for Kiley, Kalin and myself) hours. I am so excited and proud!

Papa Paul is here!

Papa Paul is here for a visit for three weeks! Kiley was so excited to see him and has been monopolizing his every second (tiring them both out I believe). He was excited to see his newest granddaughter, but the oldest granddaughter hasn't let him do much with her yet.

Seriously, look at those cheeks!

Is it just me or are those cheeks getting bigger? We still aren't sure who Kalin looks like, but the majority of friends and family think she looks like me. :)

Sisters

Here is just an adorable picture of my Clouse girls. Kiley was feeling extra sisterly and took a bunch of pictures with Kalin.

All the Clouses

We finally got a family picture! Here are all the Clouses with some cheesy smiles. Kiley had a lot more fun then Kalin did... but oh well we at least got Miss Kiley to take a family picture with us! Kiley insisted on holding "the baby" as she is fondly referred to and was flopping her around like a baby doll- Kalin only fussed a little bit and just took it like a champ. :)

Sniffs and Loves and Hugs!

Kiley loves to give her little sister loves and kisses.

Dr. Clouse?

Kiley loves to :fix" owies and other mysterious ailments with her doctor kit..... I think we might have a doctor in our future. The medical field will not know what to do with her, dressed in her princess gear and fancy pink shoes!!

She has style....

It must be the shoes, and socks? Kiley has really come into her own lately with dressing herself (and Kalin). She is particular about the color, her socks (you know the ones I really like Mom? aka the Hello Kitty socks, penguin socks, "Camryn's socks" etc...) and her shoes. This girl knows what she likes. We also have come to realize that we should be living in a warmer climate because she only wants to wear shorts and tank tops. Today is April 7th and when we woke up it was FIVE degrees. I am sick of winter!

The crib

Jon and I fell in love with this crib while we were in Anchorage (well I did anyway), and since we couldn't find a changing table anywhere we broke down and just bought it since it has an attached one. I love it- it has so much storage and it is just gorgeous! It is just the crib I was looking for when I was pregnant with Kiley!

Kalin seems to like it- if only for a few minutes at a time!

Look at those cheeks!

Kalin just gets cuter every day! I know I am biased but dang, how can anyone resists those cheeks?

They rule the roost!

They have taken over our bed..... Kiley now calls it the "big bed", not "Mommy/Daddy bed" and has been telling us she can't sleep in her own bed until she is a big, big girl. Hmmmm.... what was all that talk about her sleeping in her bed full time when she became a big sister?

Best Friends!!

Here is an awesome picture of all the little best friends together! All the little cousins- man are we going to be in trouble in a few years!

Kalin Dawn!

Kalin Dawn is finally with us! She was born on March 28th, weighing in at 9 lbs 3oz and 21 inches long. Our labor and delivery went so great, we couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Kiley is pretty excited to be a big sister but she is adjusting to not being the only child anymore- it is going to be rough on her for a few weeks. She has been showered with attention from just about everyone and city life is starting to get to her. Kiley has been telling her Papa and me that Kami misses her, her toys miss her, her house misses her and last but not least her panties miss her. I guess it is time to head home!

Foot Soak

I got a couple of goodies to pamper myself with from my Mom for Christmas and my birthday. Kiley has been bugging me and bugging me to open them up and do them already! She wanted to do a facial, or "this thing mom", and a foot soak..... so she finally wore me down a few weekends ago and we did a foot soak. She lasted, oh about 5 minutes maybe, longer than I thought! Here she is enjoying a little dunk....

Such good helpers!

We have such good helpers- Kiley, Graelin, Camryn, Triston, and Dillon were good enough to help blow out ALL the candles on Auntie Shannon's birthday cake! Phew- I think next year we are going to start taking off instead of adding!

33 already?

Yes I turned 33-- I can admit to it, seems like a great year. Pregnant, wonderful husband, beautiful energetic three year old, great job, great family, house, ahh life is pretty good right now!

SNOW!!

Overhang in front of our house...

Before the overhang fell.....

We have been getting so much snow it is just crazy! Here are some pictures of the snow around our house. I wish I had some energy to go out and enjoy all the snow!

Warm Snow Day!

Kiley and I were so happy to have Jon home on Saturday AND Sunday! It was such a treat for us. What was the icing on the cake was "warmer" weather- we had blizzard conditions all day Saturday and then it finally stopped snowing around 5:00. We put on our winter gear and went outside to enjoy some temperatures above 0 - I think it was around 10 degrees or so.

We have gotten so much snow we must be nearing some kind of record. Jon went out in the snow to get Kami a stick and ended up falling in to about his hip. I tried talking him and Kiley into throwing her in the snow to see how far she would sink, but they wouldn't go for it. Since it is light outside until about 7:00 pm we enjoyed over an hour of snow and fun. It was almost cut short when Kiley got snow down her pants- but she was able to shake it off, luckily. :)

Jon and his B-ball team in BARROW!

This is a great picture of Jon with his team of Dillingham Wolverines in the big town of Barrow, Alaska. One of the first things I noticed is how the boys are dressed!! Did they not realize that the temperature was -50?? The kids we taught in New Stuyahok used to tell us, "But Eskimo's don't FEEL the cold!" Um... not all the kids pictured here are Eskimo! :) I guess you need style even when you are posing for a picture under whale rib bones by the Arctic Ocean. Go figure. But I am jealous that Jon got to go to Barrow and I didn't. Even though he was gone from us for such a long time it sounds like he had a great trip. Barrow has a population of over 5,000 people- three schools (Elementary that sports an indoor playground, Jr. High, High School), a Community Center, a few restaurants, a LARGE AC Store (large grocery chain here in Alaska like a Safeway) and some other activities you wouldn't expect to see above the Arctic Circle.

Barrow Invitational Results

Jon's team won one game and lost three. He thinks they played two great games and were a totally different team by their third match up. We are now happy and together at home in balmy -16 degree temperature. The sun is out, the wind is blowing... what more could one ask for?

Barrow Update #2

Barrow's beach in the spring I think, it doesn't look like this now....

That isn't Jon, just a random shot I took from the Internet.

We hear the Northern Lights are supposed to look like this up there, but Jon hasn't said he's seen any yet.

Jon played his first game last night against Point Hope. They lost. I won't relate the score because it is a painful loss (they got mercied). On an up note the female version of the Wolverines won their game against Point Hope in over time.

But I had to give an update about the weather in Barrow. The current temperature is -30 degrees F, and about -53 degrees F with Windchill. They are just starting to see the sun in Barrow and are getting about 4 hours of daylight. The temperature in Dillingham is 9 degrees with about a -10 degree F temperature. We are getting sun at about 9:00 am until about 7:00 pm. I wish it would actually be warm sun.... but it is nice to see more of it around here.

Barrow Update

Jon made it to Barrow at about 9:00 p.m. last night. He had a layover in Anchorage, and then flew Anchorage- Fairbanks- Barrow. It was -40 in Barrow last night and 2 degrees in Dillingham.

Currently it is -28 degrees in Barrow and -20 in Dillingham (with the wind chill factor). Alamosa has nothing on us people!

Kiley was worried last night that a Polar Bear was going to get her Daddy. I had to reassure her that Daddy won't be close to any Polar Bears (I hope) and that he can run faster (even with a sprained ankle) than any dog gone Polar Bear..... I think I set her mind to ease. Jon's first game is against Point Hope this afternoon.

Basketball Fever..... kind of

Jon is at the peak of basketball season. For those of you who don't know, he is now the head coach of the Dillingham Wolverines (boys). My Dad is coaching the female version of the Wolverines, so my mother and I are officially basketball widows (again) until the season is over in March.

Jon finally had his first home game against Hooper Bay, Chevak and his old basketball team the New Stuyahok Eagles. Kiley and I finally got to be with him for longer than three days....... It is hard to write but the only game he lost was to the Eagles. I was thinking that if I still lived in New Stu how I would have crowed over that win! :) I am still proud of the boys (since I taught every single one of them at one time or another)- the look really good this year and I hope it is the year they win state!

Here are some so-so pictures of Mr. Clouse. He doesn't quite stick out as much as he did in New Stuyahok, but you can still pick him out quite easily. He is quite fond of saying he is a basketball coach coaching wrestlers how to play basketball. My brother Max would like that one......

He is off to Barrow and freezing cold temperatures. Barrow is usually around-30 and has just started seeing the sun again last week. I am really hoping he gets to see at least one polar bear while he is up there.... we'll see!

Jon is still about 6 inches taller than his tallest player.

See him?

Wolverines vs. the Eagles