We've been really busy so we haven't had much time to update the blog but here is a video we took of Audrey Jumping. She's getting so big!!!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Pictures!!!
If you've been reading along with the blog you've probably been thinking, "I wish I could see pictures of all that." Well, Audrey has slept just long enough for me to get these online for your viewing pleasure.
First Week of School
I don't think I remember Monday. I know it happened, but not quite sure what I did. This was our first week of school with students and it was a whirlwind. Students came Tuesday, and the Junior High was out of the school Wednesday-Friday on field trips.
We had spent part of the end of last year, and our whole prep week planning a camping trip for 80 junior high students. We had bought $1500 worth of groceries and sent out permission slips when the camp we were supposed to stay at called and said we couldn't use it anymore. No reason given, just we weren't allowed to be there. So we scrambled trying to find places that we could take the kids last minute. It was stressful, but things all worked out.
We spent three wonderful days outside. Wednesday we hiked to a place called Dorothy Falls which was beautiful. If you have never walked on the tundra (Fargo-Moorhead doesn't count), you would be surprised to find out how difficult it is to walk on. The ground is very soft and uneven.
Thursday we went out to Salmon Lake and had 3 guest speakers for the kids. They learned about healthy life choices like not smoking and chewing tobacco from CAMP, a part of the hospital. They learned about Musk Ox from the National Park Service and team building from some one at Nome Eskimo Community. The kids had a great time. They also got to go out in a boat with our gym teacher.
We were able to pick lingonberries, blueberries and crowberries. I am hoping to make relish out of the lingonberries as last weekend I learned how to make jams and syrups.
Andrew is out rockclimbing right now with some friends and Audrey is sleeping. We have talked about driving out to Council which is about 2 hours away. We haven't been out there yet and we have heard that it is beautiful (and they have trees!)
If you haven't checked out the video of Audrey talking on the post below, you should. We think it's pretty cute, but we may have a biased opinion :)
Have a great weekend!
We had spent part of the end of last year, and our whole prep week planning a camping trip for 80 junior high students. We had bought $1500 worth of groceries and sent out permission slips when the camp we were supposed to stay at called and said we couldn't use it anymore. No reason given, just we weren't allowed to be there. So we scrambled trying to find places that we could take the kids last minute. It was stressful, but things all worked out.
We spent three wonderful days outside. Wednesday we hiked to a place called Dorothy Falls which was beautiful. If you have never walked on the tundra (Fargo-Moorhead doesn't count), you would be surprised to find out how difficult it is to walk on. The ground is very soft and uneven.
Thursday we went out to Salmon Lake and had 3 guest speakers for the kids. They learned about healthy life choices like not smoking and chewing tobacco from CAMP, a part of the hospital. They learned about Musk Ox from the National Park Service and team building from some one at Nome Eskimo Community. The kids had a great time. They also got to go out in a boat with our gym teacher.
We were able to pick lingonberries, blueberries and crowberries. I am hoping to make relish out of the lingonberries as last weekend I learned how to make jams and syrups.
Andrew is out rockclimbing right now with some friends and Audrey is sleeping. We have talked about driving out to Council which is about 2 hours away. We haven't been out there yet and we have heard that it is beautiful (and they have trees!)
If you haven't checked out the video of Audrey talking on the post below, you should. We think it's pretty cute, but we may have a biased opinion :)
Have a great weekend!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Audrey Talking
Audrey is just a little chatter box now. We love talking to her and trying to figure out what she is saying back.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Back in Nome
We made it back to Nome without Audrey having any major crying fits. She certainly won over the people sitting in our row.
When we arrived in Nome, we were picked up by our friends Darcy and Sarah which was good that they both were there as we had 10 pieces of luggage plus the three of us. Darcy was really nice and brought us enchiladas to eat for dinner that night and Sarah had milk for us in the fridge. Both were very appreciated!
Our first couple of days back in Nome were spent unpacking, grocery shopping, setting up our phone/internet/tv service again, and setting up Audrey's room. We went to school on Friday to see the state of our classrooms as Andrew got a new Promethean board (a computer program projected onto a screen that allows him to write the lesson and manipulate it with the students) and I wasn't there for the last week of school so I had no idea what sort of state it was in. Both were fine and we were able to visit with some other teachers who were at school doing the same thing we were.
Today we went down to the beach with our friends Amy, Amy's baby boy Justice and Sarah. Amy and Sarah brought their dogs along and it was fun to see them jump in the waves and chase each other. We looked for beach glass and rocks that Amy could use for her artwork. It was a beautiful sunny day outside, perfect for being at the beach. Audrey, of course, slept through the whole thing :)
Tomorrow we will start our Sunday night dinners again with our friends, Caleb and Sarah, Maile and John, and this year Tara and Loren will be joining us. We will start off the year by making Swedish Meatballs, salad and ice cream for dessert.
Missing Minnesota, but enjoying Nome-
Erin, Andrew, and Audrey
Current temp: 58
When we arrived in Nome, we were picked up by our friends Darcy and Sarah which was good that they both were there as we had 10 pieces of luggage plus the three of us. Darcy was really nice and brought us enchiladas to eat for dinner that night and Sarah had milk for us in the fridge. Both were very appreciated!
Our first couple of days back in Nome were spent unpacking, grocery shopping, setting up our phone/internet/tv service again, and setting up Audrey's room. We went to school on Friday to see the state of our classrooms as Andrew got a new Promethean board (a computer program projected onto a screen that allows him to write the lesson and manipulate it with the students) and I wasn't there for the last week of school so I had no idea what sort of state it was in. Both were fine and we were able to visit with some other teachers who were at school doing the same thing we were.
Today we went down to the beach with our friends Amy, Amy's baby boy Justice and Sarah. Amy and Sarah brought their dogs along and it was fun to see them jump in the waves and chase each other. We looked for beach glass and rocks that Amy could use for her artwork. It was a beautiful sunny day outside, perfect for being at the beach. Audrey, of course, slept through the whole thing :)
Tomorrow we will start our Sunday night dinners again with our friends, Caleb and Sarah, Maile and John, and this year Tara and Loren will be joining us. We will start off the year by making Swedish Meatballs, salad and ice cream for dessert.
Missing Minnesota, but enjoying Nome-
Erin, Andrew, and Audrey
Current temp: 58
Monday, August 10, 2009
Here are some pictures from this summer!!!
As you can see we had a crazy summer. Our daughter Audrey was born on June 18th weighing in at 8 lb. 12 oz. and 20.5 in. long. Both Erin and I loved having the summer off to spend time getting to know Audrey, she's a perfect baby. Andrew did have to work on week at a summer invention camp but all in all a pretty lazy summer. We traveled all over Minnesota to Park Rapids, Aitkin, Red Wing, Moorhead, and Hibbing. We also made it over the boarder to North Dakota to visit Fargo. We were able to spend a lot of time with our families and Audrey was able to meet many of her great aunts and uncles and 2nd cousins, too many to count. Audrey got to go to her first baseball game and watched the St. Paul Saints in their outdoor stadium, and she had a chance to swim in two pools and two lakes.
I'm sure Erin will agree that this was one of the best summers ever. We have a new addition to our lives now and a whole new adventure before us. We're back up in Nome, hanging out with friends and looking forward to (and dreading) school to start up again. We'll do our best to keep up with the blog this year but you'll have to forgive us if we get behind (as fun as she is Audrey takes up a lot of our time). Wish us luck on our second year of teaching!!
As you can see we had a crazy summer. Our daughter Audrey was born on June 18th weighing in at 8 lb. 12 oz. and 20.5 in. long. Both Erin and I loved having the summer off to spend time getting to know Audrey, she's a perfect baby. Andrew did have to work on week at a summer invention camp but all in all a pretty lazy summer. We traveled all over Minnesota to Park Rapids, Aitkin, Red Wing, Moorhead, and Hibbing. We also made it over the boarder to North Dakota to visit Fargo. We were able to spend a lot of time with our families and Audrey was able to meet many of her great aunts and uncles and 2nd cousins, too many to count. Audrey got to go to her first baseball game and watched the St. Paul Saints in their outdoor stadium, and she had a chance to swim in two pools and two lakes.
I'm sure Erin will agree that this was one of the best summers ever. We have a new addition to our lives now and a whole new adventure before us. We're back up in Nome, hanging out with friends and looking forward to (and dreading) school to start up again. We'll do our best to keep up with the blog this year but you'll have to forgive us if we get behind (as fun as she is Audrey takes up a lot of our time). Wish us luck on our second year of teaching!!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Long Enough
You would think that in over a month one of us would have found the time to make at least a quick post. I'm sure there was some down time in there, but honestly since we have been back from Minnesota we have been on the go 100%.
Our first week back was spent readjusting to the time difference. I felt that it was much harder this time than when we came in the summer, but that could be because we are on a more strict schedule than we were in August or that I am pregnant. Probably a combo of the two. Our first week back I was asleep and out for the entire night at 7:30 pm. Makes it really difficult to get things done at night!
We are still tutoring every Monday-Wednesday after school. It's hard being at school for another hour each of those days but the kids really do get a lot out of it. For many of the kids there, the snack they get at tutoring will be the last food they get until lunch the next day. It's also a quiet place for them to get work done and to turn it in so it doesn't get lost between home and school.
Last weekend we had a birthday party for our friends Loren and Tara. Their birthdays are only two days apart and it was nice to have an excuse to have people over. We had soup, homemade blueberry spice cake, upside down pumpkin pie, salad and bread. As hard as it was to leave Minnesota at Christmas time, it will be hard to leave Nome whenever we choose to as we have made so many wonderful friends. The people that we have met have truly been the highlight of this adventure.
Last Sunday Andrew and about 8 other people went out to make a hole in the ice to drop a crab pot down. It took them 3 hours to make the hole in the ocean and they said it got to the point that they couldn't hold the auger anymore as the ice was too thick (3 feet). Everyone came back with smiles and they seemed to have a good time. Thursday night Caleb and James (friends of ours) were able to pull up a crab and it was AMAZING! Tasting fresh Alaskan King Crab just minutes after it was caught would be well worth the trip for anyone. It was so sweet and wonderful that you didn't even need butter. I'm hoping they are able to get some more this weekend!
This week we were all busy with Rachel's Challenge coming to Nome Beltz. Rachel's Challenge is a program that was started by Darrell Scott the father of the first person killed at Columbine High School (Rachel). 6 weeks before she died she had written a paper in school about her ethics and how if one person went out of their way to show kindness to another, it would start a chair reaction of kindness. It was a very powerful presentation on what hatred can do and what kindness can do. Many of the students were crying.
Andrew went to Anchorage on Wednesday evening with three other teachers for a conference on Smartboards. Anchorage has been having a warm spell (much like the entire state so there is hope for you down in the Midwest) and has had flooding in the streets from all the rain. Mix that with 80 mph winds and you've got a mess. School was cancelled Wednesday-Friday for all Anchorage schools. Their conference was cancelled on Thursday so he with all the other teachers had a free day to go shopping, out to eat and general relaxation. They were able to get in on Friday and were able to learn quite a bit but will have to go back in February to finish off the training. I will pick him up from the airport today at 1 pm, assuming the weather cooperates and that we don't get any more rain like we had last night.
This weekend we will spend trying to get ready for the coming week. We had something going on every night this past week and have neglected a few housekeeping things (dishes, general pick up etc.). We also were able to get a dresser and bedside table from the district office. They had some extras sitting around and they offered it to us to use in the baby's room which is wonderful. I hope you guys all have a wonderful weekend and that it will start to finally warm up for you guys. I do have to tell you though that Alaskans are laughing at the national news coverage of the cold weather down in the lower 48. They think you guys are a little weak :)
Our first week back was spent readjusting to the time difference. I felt that it was much harder this time than when we came in the summer, but that could be because we are on a more strict schedule than we were in August or that I am pregnant. Probably a combo of the two. Our first week back I was asleep and out for the entire night at 7:30 pm. Makes it really difficult to get things done at night!
We are still tutoring every Monday-Wednesday after school. It's hard being at school for another hour each of those days but the kids really do get a lot out of it. For many of the kids there, the snack they get at tutoring will be the last food they get until lunch the next day. It's also a quiet place for them to get work done and to turn it in so it doesn't get lost between home and school.
Last weekend we had a birthday party for our friends Loren and Tara. Their birthdays are only two days apart and it was nice to have an excuse to have people over. We had soup, homemade blueberry spice cake, upside down pumpkin pie, salad and bread. As hard as it was to leave Minnesota at Christmas time, it will be hard to leave Nome whenever we choose to as we have made so many wonderful friends. The people that we have met have truly been the highlight of this adventure.
Last Sunday Andrew and about 8 other people went out to make a hole in the ice to drop a crab pot down. It took them 3 hours to make the hole in the ocean and they said it got to the point that they couldn't hold the auger anymore as the ice was too thick (3 feet). Everyone came back with smiles and they seemed to have a good time. Thursday night Caleb and James (friends of ours) were able to pull up a crab and it was AMAZING! Tasting fresh Alaskan King Crab just minutes after it was caught would be well worth the trip for anyone. It was so sweet and wonderful that you didn't even need butter. I'm hoping they are able to get some more this weekend!
This week we were all busy with Rachel's Challenge coming to Nome Beltz. Rachel's Challenge is a program that was started by Darrell Scott the father of the first person killed at Columbine High School (Rachel). 6 weeks before she died she had written a paper in school about her ethics and how if one person went out of their way to show kindness to another, it would start a chair reaction of kindness. It was a very powerful presentation on what hatred can do and what kindness can do. Many of the students were crying.
Andrew went to Anchorage on Wednesday evening with three other teachers for a conference on Smartboards. Anchorage has been having a warm spell (much like the entire state so there is hope for you down in the Midwest) and has had flooding in the streets from all the rain. Mix that with 80 mph winds and you've got a mess. School was cancelled Wednesday-Friday for all Anchorage schools. Their conference was cancelled on Thursday so he with all the other teachers had a free day to go shopping, out to eat and general relaxation. They were able to get in on Friday and were able to learn quite a bit but will have to go back in February to finish off the training. I will pick him up from the airport today at 1 pm, assuming the weather cooperates and that we don't get any more rain like we had last night.
This weekend we will spend trying to get ready for the coming week. We had something going on every night this past week and have neglected a few housekeeping things (dishes, general pick up etc.). We also were able to get a dresser and bedside table from the district office. They had some extras sitting around and they offered it to us to use in the baby's room which is wonderful. I hope you guys all have a wonderful weekend and that it will start to finally warm up for you guys. I do have to tell you though that Alaskans are laughing at the national news coverage of the cold weather down in the lower 48. They think you guys are a little weak :)
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