Alaska!

We had been planning our family vacation to Alaska since February so we were  extremely excited when departure day finally arrived.  We flew all night and yet when we got to Anchorage it was still light out!  It was good to be home again. 

At the top of flattop with a view of Anchorage in the distance

Kevin, Ntala, Henrik, and Antija drove their trailer up from Canada for a real Alaskan adventure!

Summer Solstice

Growing up in Alaska, the summer solstice was always a big deal.  It meant it was light for almost 24 hours and that the days would gradually start getting shorter.  In Salt Lake, you can't really tell a difference in the amount of daylight but we still like to celebrate the longest day of the year with dinner outside.  It's so much fun to eat at our little outside seating area, plus Tate can be as messy as he wants without a whole lot of clean up!  

Bikes and Bike Trailers

We traded in our "city" stroller for a Chariot that a friend was selling.  It's the best thing ever as it can be a stroller, a bike trailer, or even ski sled.  We have loved it so far.  And the best part is there's room for two so Baby Skinner #2 can come along too!

Owen and Tate testing out the chariot on a walk to Coffee Garden.  I think it works!

We also got Tate his own bike and helmet this month.  He was having so much fun getting on and off his rocking horse that we figured a bike was next.  It's called a balance bike and there are no pedals just pushing.  It's suppose to help kids learn balance before they move to a real bike. Pretty soon he'll be flying up and down the sidewalk!

Hot Summer Days

We had a pretty cool spring and then all of a sudden one day in June it was hot. Really hot!  So while Ian and I worked in the front yard, Tate played in the pool and had a great time pouring the cold water on himself and then shivering.  I have a feeling that pool is going to get a lot of action this summer!

Tubes

At Tate's 15 month appointment his doctor recommended we go see an ENT about his constant ear inflections.  We met with Dr. Child the following week and by the end of that week, we were at the hospital having tubes put in both ears.  

It was a very quick procedure but still a little intimidating to have to go through all of the hospital formalities.  Needless to say, it was all worth it.  It has made a world of difference.  Tate was instantly happier, sleeping better and most importantly could hear better.  I feel bad we had to go through so many ear inflections and rounds of antibiotics before we solved the problem.  Hopefully now we won't have to worry about any of this next winter.  

Who knew they made hospital gowns this small!

Trying to escape to the nurses station

Recovering in the hammock with Daddy

Forever and a day

That's how long it's been since I posted on here!  But I'm back-I've got lots of great pictures from our trip to AK that I want to post.  I'm going to do some catch up first and get the rest of June recorded.  I don't know where the time goes.  Maybe it's all the chasing after and picking up behind a toddler!

He figured out how to make his own step to get to the crackers.  Needless to say I did some reorganization of the shelves after this!

Still sweet as ever!