April Stuff

With the return of the sun comes the end of the snow. Except for a few patches, it has entirely left the property. We are still getting out to ski up high, but dog sledding is done for the year. Once the sunset clears the ridge on the other side of the valley, our daily direct sunlight dramatically increases. Right now it is at about 12 hours a day, 9 to 9. Here is a photo of the sunset just barely clearing that ridge.

Kaya has hair long enough to pull into pig tails. It doesn't look that good when I do it.

Leo is practicing being a stay at home dad.

And, is getting pretty good at riding a bike, the required stick still in tow.

Warmer weather means rainy hikes.

Some day I'll convince Leo that the 2 year old duck poncho is too small for him.

Byers Lake 2011

We took our annual "spring" trip to a Byers lake public use cabin this past week. We really lucked out again with sunny warm weather.
Denali from out on the lake.

Kaya reading to Georgie in the cabin.

Leo driving the sled,

riding in the sled,

and taking a well deserved nap out in the rain.

We have made this trip 3 years in a row now, and you can tell by this video that his sense of fun really hasn't changed much, he is just more coordinated.

Compare that to this post 2 years ago (our first trip out there).

Fabulous March

March is always our favorite time of year around here. Lots of snow and lots of light. Here are some so-far march highlights.
Last week we were treated to a rare occurrence - the northern lights. It is the first display I have seen in the two and a half years we've lived here, and, WOW, it was a big one.

Finally made it onto the upper stretch of the frozen Eagle River. I brought my new neighbor and fellow "stay at home" dad with me, and boy was he excited!

Here is our now traditional Nicki high-fiving a musher photo at the Iditarod restart.

Created a new-to-us sport called parentjouring or parents pulling their kids on skis.

Another proud papa moment. Leo is getting pretty savvy on those skis of his.

Don't worry. If Leo ever gets hurt our live in doctor, Dr. Kaya, is here to help.

And, I finally got around to making a yurt puzzle.

Whoosh! Third of the way through this month; lets see what else we can make happen!

Birthdays, Shadows, and Closets

Snow, as you may know, is one of our favorite things in the world. But sometimes life gets in the way and we have a hard time enjoying it. One of my favorite ways to sneak in some snow play is by using our driveway to make some lazy turns. No matter how difficult it can be to get UP our driveway coming DOWN is usually a fun time. Here are some ski tracks that were made after a good snow and before the kids woke up.

I finally got up into the mountains behind our house (faintly seen in previous photo) and it always amazes me we have this terrain just a few miles from the yurt. Here is Ranger enjoying it too, stoically.

Kaya had her first birthday and her first cakethis past week .

The favorite present, for both kids, is a purple puppy cart. Leo is having a bit of a hard time sharing, but they work it out most of the time.

The sun is back on the yurt now and Leo and I went out for some fun with shadows. Nothing makes you appreciate your shadow more than losing it for 2 months.

And, finally, to lay a rumor to rest, Kaya indeed lives in a closet. But, as you can see, she doesn't much mind.

It works great for right now but in 6 months? Anyone have any good bunk bed plans?

Dog Sledding Family

After its much anticipated arrival Nicki's dog sled has arrived.

It coincided with a slightly lighter schedule for her, so she has been getting out with it every chance she gets. Here she is with a kiddo riding in the sled bag.

Talk about hard core. We stayed a night in one of the nature center yurts and here she is with Kaya on the back, Leo on the front, and a fully loaded sled. Talk about a bad (as in good) mama. The dogs are less impressed.

And, finally, here is a video of her in action.

If the video doesn't work here, here is a youtube link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc_B5e1WFJA

Mushing and the Lotus Postition

Cold, sunless weather led to some pretty fantastic icicles coming off the yurt.

Unfortunately, we had a warm rainy spell that melted all of our snow, and now we are back to cold. All of the trails are extremely icy, even for walking. It's back to wood working, playing inside, and holing up until we get more snow.

During our warm spell, Leo made family history by being the first member to guide a dog sled on his own. Some friends of ours put on a junior race, lent us a sled, and let us hook our dogs (and Leo) up to it. Here are a few photos of Leo's epic, 1/4 mile, 1 min journey.
Getting ready

starting off

home stretch

victory

Despite Leo's complacent looks he was very excited about running the dogs, just not about having his picture taken.

In baby news: Kaya has perfected sleeping in the Lotus position.

Idaho Vacation

The family got to spend Christmas in Idaho this year. It was a fantastic snowy adventure. Here are Leo, Kaya, and Opa watching the excitement at the bird feeder.

Oma and Opa gave Kaya her first ride on a chairlift. Yes those are cross country skis Opa is wearing.

Leo had his cross country gear on for his first trip on a chair lift. He was the youngest telemarker out there.

Leo and Nicki soaking up some sun before heading home.

Kaya enjoying some of that airport entertainment.

Nice outfit!