carter's first day of pre-k

Today was Carter's official first day of Pre-K. He got to go on Monday, but so did the parents... so that doesn't really count in my book. :)

 

He's been so excited for school, and is hoping that he will see Grayson sometime during the day. He is going M-W-F mornings... it's our last "first day of preschool"...sniff, sniff.

Hoping and praying they both have wonderful days!!

lots of fun on the radiance of the seas

Here are just some fun pics from our time on the gorgeous Radiance...

 sibs :)

 lots of fun with Gramps and Nana

 craziness at dinner

 swimming in the outdoor pool on the ship

 one of the formal nights -- all dressed up!

 lobster royale :)

 Jerry and Kristen show their moves on the dance floor

 they carved an amazing eagle from a chunk of the glacier that was floating in the sea

 Grayson and I went to the towel animal folding seminar

 the last evening's sunset was beyond gorgeous... God's handiwork was everywhere!

and last but not least, a quick glance of our stateroom... that slept FOUR!

It was a wonderful cruise! Thanks so much, Mom and Dad, for your generosity!

ketchikan, ak

Our last stop on our Alaskan cruise was in Ketchikan -- our first time in this cute little town. The four of us (plus Gramps) started our day with a Duck Tour.

 in front of our Duck... and then inside the Duck!

 we spotted LOTS of float planes that day... they were taking off and landing all around us!

 Carter inside the Duck :)

 Afterwards, Jerry and I walked around downtown Ketchikan and the Creek District

 the flowers were amazing!!

 Nana took the boys to the Great American Lumberjack Show and they all had a great time!

some beautiful stained glass right in front of our ship

It was a perfect day in Ketchikan!

grayson's first day of school

Grayson's first day of 3rd grade was today. He was pretty excited!!

We are thankful for his sweet teacher, Mrs. Hedstrom, and that he has a few buddies in his class.

I am praying for another great year!

 All of a sudden he looks taller and like maybe?? he grew over the summer... :)

And, just for kicks... a pic of one of my barrels out front that is exploding with flowers and plants due to our massive rain and cooler temps this summer. What a blessing!

icy strait point, ak

Our third stop was at Icy Strait Point. It's a rugged, authentic area that was a nice change from our other stops. There isn't a lot to do there, so we all enjoyed the beauty around us. Most of the adults went kayaking in the morning, and decided that we got our workout for the entire cruise!

 we had to use "tenders" (small lifeboats) to get from the Radiance to Icy Strait... someone did jump off the ship that afternoon, which led to some great cruise gossip ;)

 Jerry and I getting ready to kayak

 AL and Mom getting ready, too

 off we go!!

 we kayaked about 3 miles out and saw porpoises, eagles, and crabs

 then we turned around and it felt like we kept paddling and paddling... and the ship was still far away!

 we had lunch on the pier -- yummy seafood and crab legs -- and walked around

we ate at a table with Kristen and David

 the boys loved, loved, loved throwing rocks in the water -- they still say it was one of their highlights!

 Jerry and Dad riding back on the tender

the boys and I

We all had a great day in Icy Strait!

Well, except for the guy who jumped off the helicopter pad of the boat...

skagway, ak

Our next stop was in beautiful Skagway, AK. Our dogsledding excursion was not scheduled until that afternoon, so we walked around downtown, and then caught up with some guys fishing for salmon.

 they were King Salmon, and the fisherman had caught one earlier that was about 25 lbs! wow! but, the big guy broke his line. so they started using a net, and Jerry stepped in to help! :)

 they caught it!

 we went back to the boat for lunch, and then headed to our dogsledding tour outside of Skagway in Dyea, AK

 Grayson, Carter, Mom, AL, Jerry, and I were all on a cart pulled by 12 Alaskan Huskies. Our two lead dogs were in the Iditarod last year. So fun!

 After our ride, our musher introduced us to each dog, telling us his/her name and personality. It was very interesting :)

 on our way down the mountain from the mushers' camp, there was a gorgeous scenic outlook. so we stopped for pics.

 our dogsledding team!

 we then had a question and answer session led by an experienced musher (with an injured paw) who told us all about the training, life as a musher, and the Iditarod and other races

 finally, we got to snuggle with some of the husky puppies. doesn't this guy have the most beautiful eyes?!?

'twas a rainy day in juneau

Our first stop on the cruise was in Juneau, AK. It is a gorgeous town, complete with mountains, clouds, glaciers, and... RAIN. It started sprinkling the morning we arrived, and pretty much drizzled all day. But, that didn't stop us!!

 We went to the Mendenhall Glacier and the wildlife area close to it, which is home to several bears. We saw a bear in a tree and more importantly, bear poop. :)

 lots of huge salmon swimming upstream

 there was a porcupine in a tree over us

 the boys and I in front of the Mendenhall Glacier

 more family pics...

 Then we headed to a salmon bake on the side of a mountain... it was nestled in a beautiful setting!

 There was a bear in the tree there, too...

 We ate underneath a covered area, which was nice, since it was still sprinkling outside.

 It was a delicious meal: wood fired salmon with a brown sugar glaze, baked beans, cheesy potatoes, Caesar salad, and corn bread. Yum!

It was a great day in Alaska's capital city!