Lots of fun stuff in the Anchorage area!!!!

Hi and hello all those out there. Well we have been doing well here. We have been enjoying the many things that come from living outside of bush Alaska. We took the kids to a park that is near by. Jackson had tons of fun playing with the kids. Also the equipment there is a rocket ship, so of course he loved it! Qyanna got to swing for the first time on a park swing...for the most part she likes it, as long as she doesn't go to high.

Jackson wanted a picture in front of the sign...cute huh?

Swinging....

and swinging...

and swinging!!!

We have been taking advantage of a $1 special that the movie theater has. It has selective G and PG movies for $1. It has been nice seeing them. We also have been going to the library for story time and checking out books...soo nice to be in a city again!!

We went camping last week too. It was fun...execpt that the night got a lot colder than we are used to. So I don't think any of us really slept well. Poor Jackson and Qyanna were shivering while we were packing up camp. We will go camping again, but we need to get some warmer sleeping items. We also had the hardest time getting the fire going...we at least had enough to cook hotdogs, and make smores.

Luke and the kids
Qyanna and I

and my youngest camper...the hat didn't stay on much longer than taking the picture...but it is a cute hat on her.

Going Good

Well Qyanna and I have been in Anchorage for a little of a week. Things are going pretty good. Luke and Jackson got in on Saturday morning. They did Houston TX to Anchorage in 5 1/2 days. They were tired!!! It is good to have both of them home. For the last two Sundays I went to our new ward. So far I love it! It is a very welcoming ward, with lots of families with young children, which will be nice for Qyanna. On Friday the Relief Society had a camp out, with my camping gear on the Al-Can with Luke I went just for the evening. It was a great chance to get to know some of the sisters in the ward. I have a feeling that we will have a great time living here.

Cook book

So we have been in Anchorage for a few days now. Sunday Qyanna and I went to our new ward. It was nice. There are lots of little girls around her age. That will be nice! Yesterday we went to a friends place to check on it for her. She is driving up with Luke with her things. Today we did laundry and other boring errands.

Over the last two day I typed up all of my recipes. The site is www.loriabneycookbook.blogspot.com/ Everyone is welcome to use the recipes. They are all really yummy! I will add more as i find them. I love finding new recipes to try. So if you have any...send them my way :D.

Moving....yeah moving....

So I really haven't been a slacker this time per say...the power cord on my laptop broke, and I only had three weeks left in Kotzebue, which means I did not have enough time to order a new one and get it there before i left, so I just held out until I moved to Anchorage and got one Friday.

So school was out in the beginning of May and I stuck around and did the extended school year. I packed up my apartment, worked and played with my baby. Poor baby girl in the last few days every time she fell asleep for a nap something would disappear from the apartment. Last Tuesday the guys from our branch came over and helped me load the pallet to ship all of our stuff to Anchorage, she fell asleep right before they came, when she woke up everything that had been in boxes was gone. Then the next day she went down for a nap and some guys came and picked up our futon. When she woke up the living room was completely empty.

Getting out to Anchorage was quite the adventure. Thursday we checked out of our apartment at 11, then headed over to the airport. Our flight was suppose to start boarding at 2, so we had some time. Then the evil evil fog rolled in. Alaska airlines canceled the flight and rebooked everyone on the 6:30 flight. That means that we got into Anchorage at 10:30 pm. Then as wonderful friend of ours is letting us use her car while she is driving up with my hubby. So I get a cab, I have mind you Qyanna, her car seat, stroller, a small duffel, a backpack filled to the ends, a huge duffel, a large tub, and Qyanna's pack n play. The cab driver got lost going to find the place where my friends car was. Then by some miracle I found our way to the apartment where we are staying. Now it is past midnight. I get Qyanna to bed, and of course she fights it tooth and nail.

Friday we sleep in..well as late as a baby will. Then we ran errands. Today we went the the Saturday Market in downtown Anchorage. It was fun. One of booths was a guy who made shirts and signs that bashed TX...here are a few of his signs.....




And of course some really cute Qyanna pictures...These are all from when we were still in Kotz

Look Mommy's new bed.

Is this how you wear sunglasses.....

AAAAAA...its moving day soon!!!!!

My master piece is NOT finished....come back later.

I am going to be a chef...now let me study the Food Network Magazine.

End of May and beginning of June is when the ice finally starts to break up in Kotzebue. This is the first year I stayed long enough to see it....so here are some pictures of break up.

The land of the midnight sun

So it is past midnight here in good old Kotz, and it looks like it is about 7 out. I know I know I should be in bed and I will be going in a few minutes.

Well the last few days I have been starting to pack the apartment up. I would like to say that we have a lot of stuff but really we don't, but we have gained quite a bit in the past two -three years. Luke is home with his family. He has been working on a motorcycle that we bought.

Just another day....

Today was the first full day that Luke was gone. He got to his parent's place all safe and sound...which is good. I had a normal day at work. Worked with the kids. I picked up Qyanna from the babysitter, we went food shopping. She was so tired that she slept for a while. After she woke up and ate dinner we took a drive around the loop. There is one road in town that goes out on the tundra. It was made to encourage berry picking. At the top of one of the hills I took some pics.

This sign makes me laugh....to drive on the loop you have to drive across part of the runway for the airport....you have to stop and check for planes taking off or landing...only in the bush....

I am truely a slacker...lets hope I can get better

I have been soo bad at writing....I really will try to work on that. SOOO much has been happening. Qyanna had a group birthday party. There are three babies that were all born in April, so on the last Friday of April the lady that watches Qyanna had a group birthday party. They kids all had a good time.

Here are the birthday kidos...Qyanna, Conner, and Oakley.

Here is the cake...cute huh?

Here is Qyanna eatting all the frosting she could get her hands on.

All three kidos enjoying the cake.

And the damage that was done...not to bad for 3 babies.

Well today Luke got on his way home to Salem. He is going to pick up our truck and his son and drive back up here. He is going to spend two weeks or so with his family, then drive to Houston to help a friend move her things up here. Then the two of them will drive up to Anchorage together. Overall Luke will be gone for about a month. So I am single mommying it for that time.

And I am doing Extended School Year, so I am still teaching. ESY is three weeks working with our intensive students. So far I have one week down and two weeks to go. It hasn't been to bad.

I am slowly starting on packing the apartment. I have watched a lot of our things get sold and walk out the door. It is sad, but yet happy....I don't have to pack those items, so it saves me space and money in shipping. Qyanna and I will be moving into our summer apartment on June 2. We found a small place in Anchorage until we can get into our house in August. There was a lady I found on Craigslist who needed someone to stay in her apartment and take care of her cat for the summer. So it was perfect fit for us to take care of it for her! It just means that I have to be in Anchorage a few weeks earlier that I was originally planning, but such is life. I am very much looking forward to moving.

Qyanna is not walking on her own yet. But she is pulling herself up on EVERYTHING. She is walking if we hold her hands. She will be walking any day now. She does two things that are soo funny. She will walk on her knees, or she will crawl with her feet flat on the ground. Now some cute Qyanna pictures!!!!

She fell asleep eating her lunch....soo cute!

She worked herself into the pillow that way....I just had to take a picture.

She is hard at work trying how to mess up Mommy's laptop. We can't keep her away from our laptops.

As I had said early, I am now teaching extended school year. Up here we are out of school the first week of May. So it is summer here now....kinda. On the second to last day of school the third graders went sledding. We went down at a place called cemetery hill. The cemetery sits at the top of the hill and goes down into the lagoon, which is frozen solid still. It was fun and the kids had a blast.. I am going to miss this group of kids so much. I have been with them for three years. It is hard to believe that I have been with them for so long. They have grown up so much, and are such a wonderful class!

Ready...Set...Sled!!!!!

Up and down the hill they go.

My third graders on the last day of school.

Well I guess that is all for today. I will do more later.