The "BUTT" of all the jokes...

My children find underpants and all bathroom humor, talk, ect. to be highly amusing right now. They were seriously just telling jokes that make no sense whatsoever and EVERY punchline was "UNDERPANTS!".

Joanna: Hey, Brother, why did the snowman with a purple nose fall down when he was ice skating?
Nate: Why?
Joanna: UNDERPANTS!!!


(Uncontrollable laughter and giggling ensue.)


They also just came running out in this fabulous getup:

Very funny, guys! :)

Crab Fest Part 2

We took the kids back down to Crab Fest yesterday for some rides and more carnival food. It was actually pretty fun, but not because the carnival was so great...it's just fun to see the kids play games and going on rides. Jake took them down the big slide and they went 0n the elephant ride, too. They also played a go-fish game and won some super made-in-china stuffed animals. Jenny shared a deep fried Oreo with me, which sounds totally gross, but was actually quite delicious. The weather was decent, too. The sky was clear and the sun was shining, but it was still a little chilly. Terry and Jake both agreed that even though Crab Fest carnival was worse than Joe Dirt, it still managed to feel like a little summer vacation in Kodiak. HA!! (That's how desperate we are for summer fun around here.)

Jake and Joanna on the big slide

Whee!! (Look at Nate's face!!)

That was fun, Daddy!

Nate on the Elephant ride

Joanna on the Elephant ride.

Joanna at the petting zoo.

Go Fish!
Nate's turn!
Look what we won!
This is a big slide!

Crab Fest Part 1

So, ever since I've been here (actually I heard about this before I got here) people have been freaking out about this festival they have here in Kodiak called "Crab Fest". It's seriously the biggest thing this town does all year. I've seen countless people around town wearing Crab Fest sweatshirts and it literally is CRAB FEST CRAB FEST CRAB FEST around here. I took Joanna to the eye doctor the other day and the receptionist, technician and doctor all asked her if she was going and if she was excited about it. So, I have to say I've been curious about this event for a while, but I had to keep my expectations low, because...well, this is Kodiak. People rave about the Crab Fest food, but the food around here is crappy all year-round, so what on earth are they going to bust out with over the weekend that could possibly be so super fabulous?? Well, I took the kids down there after we picked Joanna up from school this afternoon and it was...well, there were some good points, mainly the fresh cooked King Crab that I bought....and yeah, that was about it. It's really just a crappy over-priced carnival, but the town really gets into it, so it is what it is.
I did have a little excitement though. When we walked back to the car to leave, someone (a total IDIOT) decided to make up their own parking spot right behind me and box me in. I guess they thought it was a curb or something, who knows. I called the non-emergency police line and they sent a cop and a tow truck over right away. The cop was really nice and they got there super quickly, which I thought was really great! It kind of made me appreciate small town police forces, because if that had happened to me anywhere else, I would have waited for hours. Heck, in Eureka, I bet they wouldn't have sent anyone at all! Anyway, here's a picture of the crab I got. $15, which I didn't think was too bad. It was too bad that I didn't have any of my favorite people here to share it with. Oh, well. Maybe next time.
P.S. I called this "Crab Fest Part 1" because we're probably going to go back tomorrow and let the kids ride on some of the carnie rides. Joanna will be eating a light breakfast...

A Nice Picnic at the Park!

Today we had a lovely picnic at the park with our friends. Christie and Graham were there and so were Kim, Katriauna and Faith. Here are some pictures I snapped of our fun morning! The weather was so beautiful and it was so nice to get out and enjoy it! I tried really hard to get a good picture of Faith, but she's such a mover and shaker that I didn't get one. She's adorable, trust me. :) Hopefully the summer will be full of this kind of day!

Joanna and Kat

Nate and Graham

Fun times! Get the goal, Nate!
Reppin' the Sequim Grey Wolf Pups!

Star Wars Guys...Potty Time...Excellent...

So, Jake had these Star Wars guys he bought back in Green Bay right before Episode I came out. He thought they were going to be so cool one day...mint in the box! Well, 10 years later and after packing them around the country with us in a box, he decided they would be a lot cooler if Nate could enjoy them. The thing is, he has to go potty on the toilet to get them. He gets one guy every time he potties on the toilet. (There are a couple of Spider Man guys thrown in the mix too.) Well, he got two right after we got back, but yesterday he got three guys in one day! Way to go, Nate!

We're Baaack!

We made it back to AK safe and sound. The weather is icky, but whatever. I can handle rain. At least it's not snowing.

I got the best Mother's Day present, too! Jake came home! I guess there was some crazy storm they were trying to out run and ended up showing up a day early. We are so excited and thankful to be back together again. We seem to have just picked up where we left off, which is great, but weird at the same time. It almost seems like he wasn't gone for two months...but he was, and at the time it seemed like forever, but right now it seems like it didn't even happen. This underway thing is so weird for a lot of reasons. Anyway, thank you Mother Nature for sending that storm to chase Jake back to us early!

Now back to cleaning up the suitcase bomb that went off in my bedroom...

Bye bye, Lower 48 (and Happy Birthday, Nate)!

We're leaving this afternoon to head down to Seattle for some last minute fun (with some practicality mixed in) before we head back to Kodiak tomorrow morning. The fun part will be celebrating Nate's birthday dinner at Red Robin, his favorite place to eat. I can't believe he's 3! I told Margaret that it seems like forever ago that we were living in Ferndale, but it was only 3 years ago! Then, when I look at my sweet little son it seems like 3 seconds ago that he was just a teeny, tiny little baby. Then I also thought about the fact that we've moved 3 times in 3 years, but that's another story. The practical part of our trip will be stopping by the mall and Target one last time for some a last minute exchange and some new rubber boots for the birthday boy. His boots fit him until yesterday, I swear. Now all of a sudden they're too small and have a hole in the top of one, and from what I've been hearing, those will be his most precious article of clothing up in Kodiak. We'll spend the night in a hotel by the airport and we'll be on our way bright and early tomorrow! I'll see all you Kodiakers tomorrow evening! (Hopefully the weather will cooperate.)

The Munro and the Eagle

Our Ombudsman sent us these pictures. Apparently someone on another ship (in Dutch Harbor, AK) was taking pictures of an eagle that landed on their ship and the Munro was in the background. I guess the person tracked Kris (our Ombudsman) down and sent her these pictures for us all to enjoy. Aren't they cool?

A trip to Hermiston

We just got back from a trip down to Hermiston, OR to visit Jake's mom's family. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed seeing everyone. Jake's family is a hoot and it's always fun to visit! The kids especially love Jake's uncles...Uncle Don (a.k.a. Mr. Pull My Finger), Uncle Doug (a.k.a. Uncle Snoop) and Uncle Ted were there and the kids had a blast with them. Doug came over to Jake's grandma's house one morning and Joanna said to him, "Uncle Snoop, you still have the same hair cut you did yesterday!" He turned around, was gone for a while and came back about 20 minutes later with a mohawk. It was really funny. Here are some pictures of the kids having fun outside at Jake's grandma's house.
Uncle Snoop and his mohawk

Happy (early) Birthday, Nate!

We had an early birthday party for Nate a couple of weekends ago. Jake's parents came up and we had a fun little celebration for my precious little baby boy who is going to be 3 this Friday!! I can't believe what a little boy he is now. He's such a great little kid. I had my camera on the wrong setting, though, so some of the pictures are blurry...