End of our Alaskan trip #15

Last post for this trip! We finished up our trip with yummy food at a Salmon Bake in Fairbanks, joining up with an old friend, Hans, at a restaurant (he was in Fairbanks for business but lives in Hawaii), eating ice cream at Hot Licks,

enjoying cousin/aunt time,

and taking an awesome Paddle Riverboat ride in Fairbanks. The riverboat experience included watching a seaplane land right next to us, seeing a sled dog camp and presentation, and getting off to explore a Chena Indian Village. I really enjoyed the village...

Natalie is thinking, "Is that a real moose?" (It wasn't, but I think EVERYONE did a doubletake when they saw him).

My favorite part was going over to the sled dog area in the village. The dogs were fascinated by our little kids and they whole group of 8 or so ran over to them and kept trying to interact with the kids. Even when we moved, the dogs kept following us around the kennel area. Everyone in the crowd thought it was hilarious the dogs were so enamored with our young kids. Their trainer said they loved younger children because they were their size, their speech was higher, and their movements more unpredictable. The kids loved it.

It finally came time for us to leave. We were a little worried about getting out, because smoke from several forest fires made the whole area very hazy. We were a little bummed by the smoke because we couldn't go on some hikes we had wanted to, and one night, you felt like you were breathing only smoke! The smoke had even permeated into the movie theater and grocery store.

Luckily, after a 2 hr delay and our flight's 3rd attempt to land in Fairbanks so we could get on it, we were finally able to leave. We had to make our own fun in the airport while we were waiting:

Our red eye flight from Anchorage to DFW was one of the worst...Natalie screamed and cried for the first hour and a half and we got death stares from a couple in front of us (Josh and they had a not so nice chat in which they said that maybe throwing our child off the plane might be a good idea! Luckily, the stewardness backed us up and Natalie FINALLY fell asleep). The other 2 and I only got a minimal amount of sleep with Josh not sleeping at all. Needless to say, we were all completely wiped out when we got home and were grateful to walk into our door after being gone a month!

Alaska was such an amazing trip and I definitely recommend it to all. Definitely save up...it cost a lot more than we lot it would! I'm so glad we got to go, thanks for sharing our trip with us through our blog. Now I think I need a vacation just Josh and I...

Train to Fairbanks/Chena Hot Springs/North Pole #14

Our next Alaskan adventure was on the Alaska railway express. The train ride took all day (I think about 10 hours?) but was very enjoyable as we rode first class :) We loved the windows all across the top and sides of the train, exploring all the cars, eating in the dining car, and snacking on warm chocolate chip cookies in the deli car.

Jenny and Heather waiting for the train.

Zack LOVED his train stuff from grandma. He wore it almost the entire time.

Gracie loving her fun time with Aunt yaya.

Ashley of course, loved any time with her little cousin Kyle.

We went exploring and found the conductor! Of course, every child got a chance to take a picture wearing his hat.










Look at ALL that luggage! With 16 people, it was quite hilarious. This picture doesn't even show you all of it, as there were smaller bags and carseats you can't see here.

After arriving, we drove to Cheri's house in North Pole. It is a cute town, complete with candy cane striped light poles and stop signs. We enjoyed staying at their house and exploring the area. One day, we went to the Air Force base there and got a special tour. The kids loved the planes taking off! We also went to Santa's gift shop in North Pole. We visited with Santa for 15 minutes (I don't have that picture, drats!) and saw 4 of his reindeer! The kids LOVED this visit and we made sure to find the perfect ornament to remember our visit.

Another day, we drove to Chena Hot Springs. The adults enjoyed the very hot adult pool while we switched who watched the kiddos in the regular pool. The large pool gets even hotter as you walk closer to where the water is piped in. I couldn't stand being in the water very long and didn't venture over to the really hot part, but Josh did! He said it was amazing how hot it got. We then went into an Ice Museum. It was really cold and neat to see all the carvings. Of course, the kids didn't last very long before chattering quite a bit (even with the large coat they provided us). I love this picture of Natalie though...her nose is so red.

Did you know you can stay a night in there? Ashley and Zack try out the beds. Not for me!

Anchorage/Katmai bears #13

We all stayed in Anchorage for a couple of days after the cruise. We sadly had to say goodbye to Todd who Zack had a great time with...

One of the days in Anchorage, Cheri & Chris, and Josh & myself went on an airplane and then a seaplane to Katmai to see some bears. It was definitely worth the trip as we saw 16 different sightings of bears. There were important rules to follow to make sure the bears didn't become accustomed to humans or human food. We enjoyed the high planked areas that allowed us to be very close when observing the bears. We were so appreciative of aunts, uncles, and grandparents who helped watch our kids!

Be sure to check out Josh's picture of this bear.

Our quick dinner afterwards:

Glacier Bay Cruising and end of cruise #12

For our last two days at sea, we cruised through Glacier Bay and Misty Fjords. Glacier Bay had beautiful weather and was absolutely gorgeous. Josh got this picture of the sunrise and these two of a glacier with a fishing boat and a kayak. We also had our second formal night (lobster!!). I love this picture of my niece Grace and her dad, Chris.


Another activity I found interesting was the galley tour. It was amazing to me all the meals they make on the ship and the 2 story kitchen (approx. 4800 square feet) of the main galley. Some interesting facts for you from my information sheet:

Prepared/used daily: 500 lbs of fish, 1200 lbs poultry, 1200 lbs beef, 700 lbs pork, 90 lbs veal, 200 lbs. lamb, 600 salads, 120 lbs shrimp, 28 gal. mayo, 600 sandwhiches, 170 lbs. pasta, 1400 lbs. potatoes, 1800 lbs vegetables, 250 gal. soup, 900 lbs. flour, 4200 assorted pastries, 60 gal. ice cream, 200 cakes/pies, 350 lbs. butter, 2000 lbs. fresh fruit, 400 lbs sugar.

60,000 dishes are washed daily. I also thought it amazing that there are approximately 134 executive chefs/sous chefs/cooks with an additional 62 assigned dishwashers.


My littlest sister Jenny, Natalie, and my dad. We toured the galley together.

Zack and Natalie's ice cream snack with aunt Steph and uncle Dave.

Skagway...Alaska continued #11

Skagway was a cute little town with an old-town feel. Some of us woke up early to hike out to Gold Rush Cemetary and Reid Falls. This shot is of the upper part of the falls. It was beautiful! The cemetery was also interesting because of the very old tombstones.

My dad and I left the falls first so we could get back to the cruse ship and help those left with the kids. We knew we were pushing the time to catch the bus back to town so we started to jog. We neared the bus stop and my dad yells that the bus is coming. I go into a dead sprint, running as hard as I can. It was just like a movie where the bus speeds past with the person running behind it waving their arms trying to get it to stop. It didn't stop...I got a good work out though!

My dad and I then walked back to town, and passed the local LDS church on the way. Interestingly enough, our bus driver on the way to the Falls was LDS and told us about the members there. They apparently have about 80 or so members in the summer and then only about 25? in the winter. Apparently, there are a lot of people that come up to this area just for the "warmer" summers.

We then all went on a 4x4 trek up the mountain to have a halibut bake and beautiful views. We drove these mule carts which were pretty powerful. It was a lot of fun and the halibut was very good.
Uncle Todd and Natalie. We all couldn't believe she fell asleep on the way because it was so bumpy.
Zack's pictures:

Our cruise ship:

KidZone activities tonight was Prince/Princess night!

Juneau #10

Juneau was a rainy day, but we still had a blast! The kids made their own fun while waiting to get off the cruise ship...
We first checked out the Mendenhall Glacier and really enjoyed walking along the grounds there. Heather and Todd saw a momma bear and her 2 cubs, but the rest of us missed that. BUMMER! Check out Josh's image of Mendenhall Glacier.

We took the tram to the top of the mountain and hiked around...still in the rain. Luckily it stopped for a little while. The kids all had walking sticks and thought that was great!

Back on the ship, it was pirate night! Face painting, pirate hat coloring, treasure hunts, balloon swords...what could be more fun :)
Ashley's pirate face:
Grace loved getting her pirate face paint. Despite our repeated asking, Natalie was sure she did not want hers painted.
With their treasures from the night!

What could finish the night off better than with dancing! We went to a lounge where the littlest girls could dance a little. They captured everyone's attention because they were so adorable and because Grace has the most interesting dance style I have ever seen :) There are really no words to describe it! I caught Grace midair in this picture. Natalie was content just twirling around.


I needed to post this video up for my sister of Natalie and Grace dancing. Absolutely hilarious dancing. A little long, but at least take a peek for a minute. It is really funny!