Baked Alaskans

Since I can't upload my own pictures until I get home, I thought I'd add some from the web, like this one that shows truly how large Alaska is. I don't think that people really understand how big it is, because it's usually placed in the Pacific Ocean shrunk down and next to Hawaii.

Anyway, Friday was a "lay low" day. Since we've been here, our children have been overstimulated so we just had a day to hang out around the house. Later on that day, we went to Dane's grandparent's house for a birthday party for him and his younger brother, Dustin. (They share the same birthday - July 26). It was a lot of fun, and fun to see all of Dane's aunts and uncles on his dad's side. Also, Ty loved hanging out with his cousins (second cousins?) and definitely didn't want to leave when it was time.

Over the weekend, we went to the mall where they happened to be having a bunch of promotional tables. We got to dress up in sumo outfits and wrestle (Dane won each time), play a ring toss where Dane won a soda, and Ty got to catch a rubber duck with a net and won a couple prizes of crayons, pencils, ruler, etc. We also got some coupons for free cookies from a bakery. We also got free tickets to go ice skating in their ice skating rink inside the mall, but Dane and Ty didn't have any socks on and by the time we got around to it, we were all too cranky! We also got to go to the downtown market and do some touristy (word?) shopping. We went to church yesterday, which was held in Dustin's old high school, because the building that it's normally held in (the stake center next to the Anchorage, Alaska temple) was in a bad fire and is being renovated. Man, did I miss carpeted floors! We were in the "auditeria" and wearing heels was a big mistake - you could hear every step taken! But it was fun to go and know that the church is true regardless of where you attend!

We finished our weekend of fun with a trip to Chuck E Cheese (where bad food and cheap thrills unite). This was a big one - 2 floors of cheap excitement! Ty loved it, though. He just kept running around like a maniac going from game to game to slide to game (you get the point!). But he had fun. Also, we were driving around last night (trying to get the kids to go to sleep, something with which they never have a problem, but I guess all the stimuli and daylight are getting to them) and we saw a couple moose (goose->geese; moose->meese?). There they were, just eating some tree leaves on the side of the road. Craziness.

On another note, we've been spending our evenings playing lots of card games - well actually just Hawaiian Rummy and Cribbage (which I just learned how to play). It's been a really fun way to bond and hang out.

Today is going to be another chill out day, and also a laundry day! The thrills of Alaska!