The Keene Family

Did I mention that I spent 28 hours in Anchorage last week? I had a quick trip for work but it was my first time in Alaska, and I went one flight earlier than I needed to so I could see the city by daylight. I was so glad to have my cozy, fur hooded jacket with me. I fit right in. :) You know this line from Tombstone ? It's "I'm your Huckleberry." But still. These are all out of order. But this is flying out! I really wanted to see a moose, and all the locals kept saying that I would, but I had to settle for this one in the airport. Friday morning view of Sleeping Lady My colleague Monica and I walked around the park in the 18 degree weather. I'm glad this was the only bear we saw! The view from the training Okay, so I saw this bear too. I wanted a picture to show the kids how big they are!

We had a great time celebrating Grandma Cole's 60th birthday this week. We brought in Chinese take out from Tacoma and feasted! Grandma's dessert request was raspberry sorbet with vanilla wafer cookies, and it was all very yummy. Of course, having three grandchildren to celebrate with her (as well as two children and two in-laws and a husband) was a lot of fun! When we walked back home from dinner, we saw the beautiful full moon shining above our house! I stopped to capture it... you can see my family waiting for me in the driveway.

This year was pretty low-key compared to last year . We started on Friday with parties for both kids at school. They wore their red and white (and Haley actually had a heart shirt I bought ages ago on clearance). They came home with completely different accounts. JT: "We passed them out and I got a bunch of candy. I'll probably throw half of it away." Haley: "Well, first we put the treats in the bags for each child. The bags were set out in the hallway in ABC order and we had to take one treats out of our bag and put them in the bag with the child's name on it. So I did Quinn's first, and it was all the way on the end because her name starts with Q, so it was by Z for Zander and Zoe. And then..." (another 20 minutes of straight description). JT really did throw half of his away. :) On Saturday, JT had basketball and Haley got to go to a birthday party for a friend at school. She was so excited, because 1) it's a birthday party, and 2) it's h...

I finally got a chance to take some photos at JT's basketball game this weekend. We have enjoyed our second year with Upward Basketball and love seeing JT grow in his skills and affinity for the sport. Pregame player prayer Fun on the bench JT has scored a couple of times this season, which is awesome considering he only gets to practice once a week. Haley loves the "Halftime Hijinks" games that include all kids who attend the games. JT has been awarded best defense and sportsmanship stars for his uniform this year. Two games left this season!

How is it already February? JT was awarded Sparky of the Month at Awana the same night he said his personal record for number of sections signed off, so that was exciting! Because Grandma Cole is still recovering from her knee replacement, Haley stayed with the Bonnells for one day when I went to work this week. We had a great commute, just the girls. My niece Ali and I spent some time crafting last Friday night... or rather, painting. We delved into the world of chalk paint and it was much easier than I thought it would be. We just followed the directions on the containers and it went great! She made a chalkboard frame and I repainted a stool. Stool before Stool after Haley has been working very hard to assemble her valentines. She picked kittens and puppies from Paper Source, and it has been a fun project. She finally finished today and they look fabulous! Also today, Haley planned a picnic lunch for us at home. She got it organized, packaged all the...

My youngest niece Ali turns 16 today. I can't believe it, and yet it is fitting because she's always seemed a little older than she is. Maybe because she's the youngest of her siblings, but she has often surprised us with how much she could do at a young age. Ali has always been cheerful, hard working, and easy going. We just love having her closer to us, but we know it's been hard for her to be away from her awesome friends in North Carolina. Here's a few memory lane photos... My mom and I went to NC to watch the Cole kids for a week in 2002. She's always been this cute. Ali was the first one to ride in the back of Grandpa and Grandma's new diesel truck that fall. Look at that face! Ali has always been great with our kids. (So are Preston and Madi, but let's focus.) The first summer she came to Banks Lake, I didn't change a diaper or touch a jar of baby food for a whole week! Summer 2011 Tonight we got to celebrate with Ali o...