Much Needed Vacation #1

At the end of March I went on my first ever, via airplane, girls getaway weekend. Believe me it was much needed. From the middle of January on I have been battling a lot of cruddy sickness. So, I was so happy to turn the kiddos over to my wonderful husband for a much needed vacay to San Diego. I went with my girlfriends, Liz and Nicole to visit Liz's stomping grounds. We stayed at her parent's beautiful home and were treated to a wonderful weekend. Here are some of our adventures.





Liz an Nicole



Nicole and I.



We went directly from the airport to the Mormon Battalion Historic Site. I must admit that I didn't know much about this part of our church history and was greatly impressed. It is a beautiful building with a great presentation that I enjoyed very much. After the MB we headed to Old Town where we did some shopping and enjoyed a delicious Mexican lunch with a large Coke. Also, much needed because we slept for about 3 hours on the plane! Then we headed to Liz's place and got settled in.



We got up early Saturday and headed to the beautiful San Diego Temple. We did a session in Spanish! I was so impressed by the beauty of this place that I decided that one of my children must be married there!



Then we headed down to La Jolla to visit the beach and have lunch. Liz and Nicole got sandwiches, but since since I have a rule to eat sushi whenever and wherever possible I invested in the most delicious lobster roll ever!




Nicole and I on the beach at LaJolla. Do you like my braces?

Saturday afternoon we were joined by Liz's sister for pedicures and then off to Panera Bread (not available in Alaska) for some great dinner. That evening we spent a couple of hours in the hot tub surrounded by singing frogs one of which took a kamikaze dive into the hot tub with us.



Sunday we went to church. Later in the evening Liz's dad took us to pick some avocados at the new house he is building. I was able to pick 10 avocados to take home in my luggage. MMM.



Monday we went shopping in the morning and had a yummy sushi lunch. Then we headed back to LaJolla for some sea kayaking. This was the most exciting sea kayaking for me so far. I have done it a couple of times before in Hawaii and Mexico, but this was the first time I have ever had to take off from the shore. The surf was rough and high so we got a really good workout. Liz and I shared a double kayak and Nicole took a single. I was so excited to see dolphins! They were swimming right beside us which was so cool! we didn't see much else--just did a ton of paddling. Poor Liz was very seasick, but was a good sport.



After kayaking we went to the children's beach and saw the cutest baby seals ever!



Here I am with some sea lions.



So we ended up with a loooooong layover in Portland we we saw some sites. When we asked where we should go everyone said VooDoo doughnuts is a must. They have a very interesting menu which was rated PG-13.



Here is our selection of doughnuts. Why yes, that is bacon on top of that maple bar.



We also spent some time and too much on admission at the Chinese Gardens in Portland.

What a fun trip we had! Thanks to Liz and Nicole for a wonderful weekend. Thanks to Robert for being a wonderful husband.

February Favs

Valentine's Date. I love Valentine's Day. I am a self proclaimed sappy romantic and love the day set apart to celebrate love. With that in mind, Robert and I go on a lovely date every year. Ok, so last year was spent at the hospital having just given birth (thankfully not on Valentine's Day--I'm a little selfish that way).

This year our date was to Piccolinos where we dinned on Calamari and pasta---what could be better? After a scrumptious meal, I took Robert X-country skiing. I have been going quite a bit and wanted to share my new found hobby with my husband. Robert proved his amazingness once again by out skiing me even though he has not skied in over a decade. It was a blast. We skied on the beech lake trails and the snow was perfect. It was fun skiing with my honey. After quitting the trails we headed to Starbucks for some spicy hot coco and steamed milk. It was so nice and a lovely way to celebrate us.

Battle of the Books. Hannah participated in the Battle of the Books again this year. I love this competition. It takes me racing back to my childhood. In this competition, children read 15-20 books and memorize the titles and authors. They are then put on teams of 3-4 and they represent their grade levels and schools in a district wide competition. During the competitions the teams are asked questions that all begin "In which book..." the teams huddle together to come up with the correct title and author. The winners of the district competition go on to the state level competition. Hannah was chosen to represent her school for the 3-4 grade level. They performed well at the competition, but did not win any ribbons. I was very proud of her dedication and enthusiasm.

Bobby's Birthday. I did a previous post on Bobby's special day, but I can't leave Bobby out of my February Favs. Bobby celebrated his first b-day on February 13th. We celebrated with friends and family by sharing a meal and and dessert. I made pork tacos and all the fixings. They were quite scrumptious. I got the recipe for the pork (karnitas) from a friend. It is cooked long and slow in the crock pot. We invited Nan and Papa, The Townsends, The Bundys, The Moncurs and the Lows. It was so nice to be surrounded by friends all of whom love Bobby.

We got Bobby and very nice large set of wooden blocks for his birthday. They were a hit with all the kids at the party and I know they will bring many hours of enjoyment to come. Hannah and Winnie kept making tall towers for Bobby to knock down. It was so sweet. He is very loved by his big sisters.

Our New Wood Stove. After a chimney fire last winter we decided to replace the wood stove along with the chimney. Yes, we heat our home almost entirely by wood stove and no, not everybody in Alaska does that. We love it. I love having my home at 75 degrees. It is so cozy and so beautiful to sit and watch. It is also great for emergency preparedness. When the power goes out we don't have to worry about staying warm. When the power went out for half a day on Christmas day day we stayed nice and toasty by our stove. When we first got the new stove this fall, I teased Robert about having a mistress because he spent more time with her than me. Yes, our stove is a female--hot, fiery and needs some coaxing now and then, but keeps you oh so warm at night!

Downhill Skiing. I finally did it after living in Alaska most of my life. I went downhill skiing for the first time on the last day of February! It was so sweet. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and about20 degrees. We were up at Alyesksa and they were not many people because it was a Monday. Robert and I went there on a date and he was the best skii instructor--handsome too! I fell several times, but I really think my x-country skiing skills really helped me take to it. The picture above is us on the ski lift.

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. So I am in a Biggest Loser competition with the rest of the DeKay clan. We are getting ready for a family vacation to Kauai. I have lost 12 pounds so far and would like to lose 10 more in time for our trip the second week of April. At the recommendation of a friend, I started doing this 30 day Shred video about 8 days ago and it is kicking my tail! I really like it because there are 3 levels of work outs. I know when I stop being sore I am ready for the next level! Hawaii--here I come!

My Dear Little Boy

Bobby came to us so unexpectedly. We had just about given up hope for another child after 5 years of trying. We were so taken off gaurd in fact that I was almost 2 weeks late before we suspected a thing. I woke up one morning and looked at Robert and said "You stink!" He was so happy!

We love our little boy--a blessing from our Father in Heaven. Bobby is a testament that His timing is perfect. He brings to our home activity and love. This year has been wonderful! Happy Birthday Bobby.

100 Days of School

Last week Winnie celebrated the 100th day of school. I can't believe my little girl has been in kindergarten for so long! The question I have been asking myself is "What have I been doing for the past 100 days of school?"

Packing 200 lunches
Chaperoning 5 field trips
Pulling my hair out 100 times "supervising" 4th grade math homework
Sitting through 8 six year old birthday parties (5 at the House of Bounce)
Volunteering a dozen times at the school
Brushing two heads of hair 100 times
Making 200 breakfasts
Washing and folding 75 loads of little girl clothes
Making 4 Halloween Costumes
"Supervising" 3 book reports and one Mayan project
Studying 400 spelling words
Making 42 valentines
Walking 200 times to the bus stop
Listening to 100 days of violin practice
Listening to 100 days of piano practice
Preparing 200 after school snacks
Kissing 200 cheeks goodbye
Said 100 morning prayers
200 Welcome homes


I loved every minute!

January Favorites

Skiing. I have a great set of girlfriends--strong, inspiring, happy women that I love being around. They introduced me to x-country skiing this month and I have to say that I am hooked. I decided that I really needed an outlet and thought skiing might be it. So far it has been rather icy, but I really love it. I have even snuck out by myself a few times. I love the exercise, the scenery, the company and the solitude. I feel great when I am done and am so glad for another way to enjoy Alaska's beauty.

My husband. OK he really is a favorite of mine everyday but this month especially because we celebrated his birthday and we are officially the same age again! This man is amazing. I remember thinking when we were engaged that he was absolutely perfect and how did I get so lucky. Well over the the past 11+ years I have found out he does have some minor flaws, but I still feel like the luckiest woman alive everyday. This month he has been doing a lot of cooking which has been scrumptious. Can I just say Halibut with a lemon caper sauce and Salmon teiryaki burgers with ginger?

Kleenex with lotion and Boogie Wipes. This may give you a clue as to what our month has been like. We have all been nursing terrible colds. I currently have the worst cold I have had in years. It just hangs on and on. Hannah missed a week of school! I just love Kleenex with a lotion in it. So soft on the nose so you are not raw and sore. I just discovered Boogie Wipes for Bobby and I am hooked. They are damp, disposable clothes for babies noses. They are different than regular bottom wipes because they are made with saline and have a moisturizer in them. They magically wipe of crusted on boogies and and don't leave raw noses. Love them!

80's Day. Hannah's and Winnie's school hosted 80's day this month. I had a great time dressing the girls up and big baggy shirts, leggings and side ponytails. We even crimped Hannah's long hair. Both girls got blue eyeshadow up the the eyebrows and pink lipstick. Winnie made me laugh when I was doing her hair. She said, "Mom, why are you making me look all pretty what people in the olden days were all ugly and didn't wear makeup and stuff?" OK. I explained that the 80's were when I was I little girl not when Laura Ingalls Wilder was. One in the same in her mind.

Settlers of Catan. A great board game. We played it a couple of years ago with some great friends and had talked about it often since then. For Christmas I decided to get it for Robert along with the expansion set. Imagine my surprise when I opened up the Seafarers expansion on Christmas morning. Robert had been trying to order it for me using my Amazon account and realized I had ordered it for him! So he decided to get me the Seafarers expansion. Since Christmas we have played this game dozens of time with friends, family and just together. I love it because we can play just the two of us and often do after we put the kids to bed.

Prison Break. Another thing we do after we put the kids to bed. OK. How did I miss this show when it was airing? I think I was to busy watching "Lost". Amazing and addictive. We have spent many nights up way too late watching episode after episode. Warning: this show is addictive and not entirely uplifting, but a guilty pleasure indeed.

Susitna River Lodging. My new home away from home. We spent a reunion weekend there in Talkeetna this month with great friends and I told Robert this had ruined me for Forest Service Cabins forever. Real beds, warm showers and a loft. We could walk out the door and go snow machining, but no camping! The best of both worlds as far as I am concerned. I also found out that Talkeetna has some great little restaurants.

I Resolve...

I really like to make New Year's resolutions. Do I keep all of them? No. Do I try? Yes. Am I a better person for them? I like to think so. I also like to make mid-year resolutions. I think they keep me on track. I guess I am really a goal oriented person. I get up every morning and make a mental list of what I want to accomplish that day. I think it helps me mentally stay focused. The down side is that I sometimes have a hard time when things don't go as planned. All in all though I consider this an asset to me.

Most of my resolutions are very personal..specific and poignant to me, but boring to the rest of the world, so I will keep those private.

My number one resolution for 2011 and for the rest of my life, I will share.

Charity.

I recently did a lot of research on the topic for a lesson I taught. Charity is the opposite of selfishness, something that comes very naturally to me. I know I am not alone, but I don't want that to be me. I often feel charity, but I want it to become my gut reaction. I want to be more loving and kind and forgiving of others' weaknesses and forgiving of mine. I want to expect the best of people.

There are many more resolutions hiding in my personal journal. I will put charity out there for the world to see.

Holidays

I am inspired by my friend Nicole to post my Christmas pictures. I love the Holidays. As stressful as they are I love every minute of them. I am glad to have captured a few pictures although several of my pictures have been snagged off of other people's blogs and FB accounts. I don't know why, but I didn't take a lot of pictures. Two occasions I missed photographing that I regret are Hannah's Piano and Violin recitals. Even though I don't have photographic proof, she performed beautifully!




The Eagle River Orthodontic work party. Hosted annually at the Elder Dr. DeKay's home, it was once again a culinary delight. Beverly is an amazing cook and I take every opportunity to learn at her feet.

The Menu: Appetizers; percuitto wrapped asparagus, shrimp, fresh moz and cherry tomatoes

Soup: broccoli and Stilton

Main Course: prime rib, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, green salad, homemade rolls

Dessert: Croquembouche (cream puff tree), hand dipped chocolates and homemade caramel ice cream



This is a picture of me salivating over the ginormous prime rib.

In addition to gorging on delicious food the party consisted of sledding and a white elephant gift exchange. Robert and I ended up with tickets to H2Oasis which we were very excited about!



My cuties in their Christmas nightgowns. I fell in love with this fabric at JoAnns and bought them out. My girls had to have soft gowns out this (even thought it is not flame retardant!) I was worried Winnie would think it was itchy, but she said "this is the most beautiful night gown I ever saw!" and wore it all the next day as well. They looked like angels.



We headed up to Nana's house one day to make gingerbread houses. Hannah spend 2 hours on hers and I wasn't able to get a picture, but it was awesome! Winnie and I worked together on this little cute one. It is still sitting in my kitchen. I have made it my personal goal to make a house from scratch next year!




A picture taken on Christmas Eve of all the DeKay babies born in 2010. (Actually only the cute little boy on the end is a DeKay, but you know what I mean).

Picture order: Canyon Townsend, Tristan Davenport, Remington Robeson, Joyce Bundy, Bobby DeKay

Birth order: Canyon (January), Bobby (February), Remi (June), Tristan (August) and Joyce (September)



Nana made these gorgeous dresses for all the walking granddaughters. Awesome!



This picture really says it all. Hannah has asked for a Nintendo DS for 3 years now and Santa finally delivered! He even got her a DSi. She was the happiest little girl ever there was. I will never get tired of hearing my children squeal with joy on Christmas morning!



My parents came over Christmas morning to celebrate with us. They got Bobby this cute puzzle. Bobby was so cute that morning. His childlike mother got him up at 6 am so that he could be there too. He was into everything!



My dad and a very tired Bobby ready for the traditional DeKay Christmas breakfast...crepes! I made sweet crepes with pie filling and a savory spinach and cheese filling as well. They were delicious!



Santa brought Winnie this little jeep. Rumor has it that he waited at Wal-Mart for three hours on Black Friday to get it. That Santa is very persistent!

This picture is stolen off my friend's blog. At our ward Christmas party the girls dressed up like angels and the boys like shepherds for a few songs. Hannah is the girl just above Winnie. Thanks for the picture Nicole!

For New Year's Eve Robert talked us into an overnight snow machining trip to a Forest Service Cabin on Red Shirt Lake. I prefer day trips, but we had a good time and we took a pretty sweet picture.

Well that's it for our Holiday pictures. It was a wonderful month. I can't wait for next year... or should I say this year?