it's been a while

It's been a while! Looking at this blog makes one realize it's been 8 months and 11 days, the exact age of Eli since I last posted. I spose life with two kids can do that to you.

Looking back at this blog is really incredible (to me) , our life for the last 7 seven years is chroniciled. So it continues.....

This last week was a whirlwind of activity.  Cousin Katie got married and so the family all flew in.  Mom and Don are in town and Dad happened to swing by too.  All of this on  a work week for me of course.  To really cram it all in we took some family photos, Seth and I don't look that cute, and I have to say Milo isn't at his cleanest but.... maybe this captures the real us? Slightly disshevled but well meaning?

Elias Ray Andersen joined us Tuesday, February 11th at 6:30am.  He is a chubby little fellow with a barrel chest and lots of hair, lots of hair for an Andersen/ DeArmoun really.  He sleeps well, eats well and is a constant source of cuddling and kisses for the rest of us.  Milo has taken to him in a huge way, sharing blankets, toys and hugs.

Milo meeting his baby brother for the first time.

Dad meeting his son at the birth center.

Grandma and her boys.

The whole crazy group of boys.

Now that it is cold and dark here in Anchorage keeping Milo busy has been the name of the game.  We joined a group of friends in Girdwood for a weekend and took the kids skiing for the first time.  A group of 4 two year olds on skiis for the first time was great, watching all the new parents run around and take photos like fools was just as entertaining.  When did we all loose our cool? Milo loved skiing and now has himself a set of skiis and rides the chairlift with his dad.



Another past time is swimming and with the addition of awesome swim cap and googles he is all set, thanks to Aunt Bonnie his gear consultant.

Grandma Becky is in town awaiting the impending arrival of number two and she has given Milo quite a time.  They bake, they play outside in the snow, they are so busy.

Looks like we really fell off the wagon around here.  What it seems happens is that I started work and now it's mid January and we have some catching up to do.  Before our new addition arrives here are some updates on the progress of our first son.

Halloween was a hit. A confusing idea for a two year old.

The magician had quite a time.

The three of us visited Montana for Thanksgiving.  Lots of family and food was had, good times.  Milo celebrated his second birthday and cooked his own cake, a new love of mixers was born.

Christmas was a good time.  Cutting a Christmas tree at Grandma's house, our best so far I think.  Lots of Christmas cooking baking, visiting the Gingerbread village at the Captain Cook, ice sculptures and tuba Christmas concert.

Milo's new love of cooking earned him a mini kitchen and lots of wooden food to cut up for Christmas.  This keeps him very busy.

And in three weeks we will meet our star's sibling.  

Milo and I left Seth here in Anchorage to hold down the fort and we headed to Idaho.  It was in the high 90s even into the 100s.  Milo learned how to garden with his Grandparents and do a lot of wading in the pool.  Than we headed to Oregon for a beautiful family wedding and drove off to Flathead Lake to visits good friends.

Watermelon lemonade at the Moscow's farmers market

Boating at Flathead

Swimming with Grandma and Calli

In La Grand, Oregon for Molly's wedding

It's been spring, than it's been summer, now it feel a lot like fall.  I know, "it's only August Bonnie!". Well, August in Anchorage is usually rainy and the day it turned August 1st we had our first hard rain and it has only let up briefly.

We went to the cabin, than to Idaho, than Montana on Flathead Lake, than back to the cabin! Wew, I was thrown off on days, I woke-up every morning not knowing where I was, it actually wasn't that bad.  Never a dull moment.  Really, only now that we are home am I feeling not so great, hmmm. We'll chalk that up to the new addition due in Febuary, that was something else that transpired this summer, a sibling for 'ol Milo.

Finished!

We had beautiful weather at the cabin.  Actually, all of Southcentral Alaska was hit with the best summer since 2004, we hit the 80s! It was hard to know what to do with ourselvs, so there was lots of beaching, wading and nudey time for Milo!

Fur Rondy and Iditarod

Looks like I've been a bit negligent on the blog.  Keeping up with this and my school one is endless.  The school one is great these days though, check it out if you have time.

kincaidartroom.blogspot.com

It was Fur Rondy last week, really busy.  Parties, fireworks, dog sled races on the streets downtown, snow sculptures, parades, oh man.  Milo learned how to cheer on the dogs, he seemed to really enjoy that.

Milo and Ginger enjoying each other in a snowstorm

Jay teaching Milo how to cheer on the dogs

Seth and I took Milo on a back country ski that was very short as he threw a huge fit on the way up.  But it was a beautiful day, we did get out and saw some sunny mountains.

A momentous occasion also occurred, Seth cut Milo's hairs.  A bit more than his Grandma cut, it seemed to be shorter than we thought when it dried.  The sucker helped, there was hell to pay when we were done and the sucker had to go.

Sucker cut!


And lastly Milo's big moment.  We were playing at a playground yesterday when a photographer from the Anchorage Daily News asked if he could do a little photo shoot with us.  We played along, I'll add any I find in the newspaper. When the Iditarod is over I'm sure we'll be in there somewhere.  In the meantime, "Go Ally!"

Youth Art Month

We hung the Youth Art Month Show in the museum week before last.  It was fun, 3 days of just being an artist and getting to be very picky, it is practically rewarded when hanging a show.  In the end it looked O.K, I don't care for the museums new "look" and the space they have put us in, every year I swear it will be my last and every year I end up back there.

Committee members adding the final details during a photo shoot.

     Hawaii was a blast.  The plane rides were bearable but not my favorite part, although it's hard to complain when Milo sat on Seth's lap the whole time, 9 hours one day!! Milo had some much needed Dad time and Dad had some serious Milo time.  After three days on our own we met up with 9 of the Van Hemert's and the boys had a great time together.  Both Milo and Cormac took to waking at the crack of dawn, as early as 5 some days.  The Dads took the boys out in the morning to see turtles, explore beaches and watch whales jump.  There was quite a bit of sand eating, swimming, wonderful food, pools, hikes and time with great friends.  I already miss the warm air, walking out on our beautiful lawn and the SUN!!

     Now it's back to the routine, work and snow.  We had some icy days back here in Anchorage, school was canceled and it has hard to enjoy outside with so much ice.  Thankfully it snowed a little and the sun has come out, it's a beautiful sunrise as I write.  Milo and Cormac are growing so much, interacting and playing games together, really wonderful.  Milo is eating on his own now, he uses a spoon quite a bit although putting a tarp around his high chair would be wise.

A rare morning that Mom and Milo enjoying the sunrise.

Sand surfing

Seth pulled the boys around on the beach and they were quite the attraction, like little celebrties.

We are off to Toddle Time, where Milo runs amuk with other little ones in a big padded room with new toys! We'll meet up with Seth and complete some much needed errands.