gloomy mornings are for walking

It has been pretty gloomy the last couple of days but we've still managed to get out in the mornings. Since Riggs has turned three, it is like everything about him is amplified. It seems as though his feelings are felt more deeply and his energy has tripled. So, we start everyday with a walk. I notice such an immense difference between the days we get out first thing and the rare days that we don't, and that difference is what gives me motivation to get out when I'm otherwise lacking. 

Usually we walk a small loop near our house but today we both just felt like going further, and so we did. Riggs would have kept going when I decided we needed to turn around, but I knew he would be getting tired soon, and I didn't want to have to carry him and his bike back home. I love his adventurous spirit and how capable he is becoming as he gets older. 

In the end we walked about two and a half miles and I think he was pretty tired out by the end. He kept stopping to rest, laying his head on his handlebars and saying, "I'm tired out, mama." I so love his sweet little face. ♥

January days

January used to be one of my least favorite months; it seemed to drag on with nothing to make the month very exciting. This year I've realized that the slow pace of January definitely has it's merits. The sun arrives earlier in the morning and seems to linger so much longer in the afternoon. This January has just seemed so fresh and full of promise and I'm loving it.

Steve has been home for most of the month, with just a few days of work here and there, and that has definitely made the month much more fun for the whole family. He's able to get some projects done and spend much (much) more time with the kids every day than during the rest of the year when he works so many hours. Despite little bumps here and there, the kids are in pretty predictable stages in each of their development, especially where sleep is concerned, and so we are able to get a surprising amount of alone time during naps and the evening hours after the kids have gone to sleep. We'd love to sneak away for more dates than we're currently able to, but really we can't complain too much.

Our days have been filled with...

fresh snow

 lots of outside play

(despite it being -15 degrees outside)

 plenty of indoor snuggle time;

sleeping bags are always a great way to get

him to settle down and read for a while

 the first rays of sun returning to our yard since November

(one of the negative aspects of living so close to Pioneer Peak,

it completely blocks the sun all day long for nearly three months

of the year; so we get daylight, but no actual sunlight)

 more outdoor playtime for the kids

while Steve and I work on projects

Not pictured: plenty of cookies, hearty soups nearly every day, eggs-bacon-toast for most breakfasts, movie-watching, train-track building, Bible reading, and some deep cleaning thrown in here and there.

January, I'm sorry for disliking you all this time; does it make it better to know that I'm really warming up to you now?

lately and slowing down the Christmas season

Sigh. My poor blog. I have been so absent from this space lately, both physically, as is evidenced by lack of posts, and mentally - I just haven't had the mental space to even think about blogging or my blog in general. It's hard to put into words what been keeping me so busy. I guess it can be summed up in one word...life. Life is just busy busy right now and so full and theres still so many things I want to do that I can't fit in. Blogging just hasn't been a priority for me right now, and to be honest, I've been okay with that. But don't worry little blog, I still love you.

You know what else I love? Instagram. It's such a good way to share little snippets of our life and have them there as a record for later when I've nearly forgotten about what we were up to at a certain point in our lives. It's faster than blogging and admittedly a lot less work. And you can print out little books with all your pictures and captions, thereby using Instagram as a journal of sorts. I use chatbooks and have loved it so far. I even made a few custom books for family members as Christmas gifts this year. So I guess my point is that even when this space is looking pretty bleak I usually take time once or twice a day to post on my IG account, so be sure to follow along with me @lifealaskanstyle.

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Yesterday was Christmas Sunday, and it was so full and yet so laid back and relaxed and warm and cozy. We all dressed up and went to church, then headed downtown for brunch afterwards at the Valley Hotel (our favorite breakfast place by far in Palmer). Then we walked just down the street to Vagabond Blues for vanilla chai (me), green tea (Steve), hot cocoa (Riggs) and cookies/treats all around.

When we got home the kids went right down for their naps and Steve and I watched a movie together. I wrapped presents while we watched and am now pretty much done with presents, other than edible presents, which I'll be baking tomorrow. As soon as the kids woke up we got them dressed again and piled into the truck to head back to church for the Christmas program and yummy treats afterwards.

Yesterday was special because it really truly felt like Christmas, maybe for the first time this year. I've always loved Christmas so much, but it's been hard for me to adjust to being the main source of all the magic. I'm the one (well, technically me and Steve, but let's be real...mostly me haha) doing the decorating, and planning the fun Christmas outings, picking out the presents and then wrapping them with care, and teaching Riggs about what Christmas is all about. I don't get to be the one on the other end of that anymore, and it's definitely much more stressful and less fun than I imagined. It's a lot of work, even with the simplest of Christmas traditions and I'm still getting used to my changing role, nearly three years into parenting.

Yesterday was one of those days that made me realize what really makes Christmas so magical, it's about sacrifice and love for our family and friends. Jesus' life on earth was the perfect example of that, the example that we strive to imitate in our own lives. It's only by God's grace that we can even attempt to love those around us in the way we should, putting others before ourselves.

Baking cookies with our kids, despite the mess we know we'll be cleaning up after. Staying up late getting ready to host our friends for Christmas parties. Wrapping presents during nap time, and then rewrapping them after the baby rips the paper off five minutes after they wake up from their nap. Putting in extra time at Church to prepare for a special Christmas service. Baking hundreds of cookies for friends and neighbors. Spending half the day in the kitchen on Christmas day making that amazing Christmas feast for family and friends. The list goes on and on and on. Throughout it all, trying to remember the reason we're spending so much time making this season special.

Yesterday was winter solstice, and I thought a lot about it for some reason. This winter hasn't been ideal, and it's hard for me to get fully into the Christmas spirit when there's no snow. But I realized that snow or no snow, winter is a reminder of the amazing rhythm of God's creation. I love this quote..."the countryside sleeps in winter and within it lies all the potential of spring, summer and autumn." Instead of rushing around trying to decorate our houses perfectly, trying to get just the right gifts for everyone on our lists, trying to make every last party, trying to host the perfect party, we should be taking time this season, time to reflect and prepare for the year ahead of us.

"This is the solstice, the still point of the sun
it's cusp and midnight, the year's threshold
and unlocking, where the past
lets go of and becomes the future;
the place of caught breath..."
Margaret Atwood

I hope all of you have a magical Christmas week and take time to acknowledge and enjoy all the beautiful things God had graced you with in this life. Take an extra moment at each Christmas gathering to look around at friends and family and relish the time you have with them. Watch your children's faces as they experience all the magic of Christmas and let their joy and wonder seep deeply into your heart. Enjoy a plate of cookies cross-legged in front of your brightly lit tree.

Goodbye November

After [finally] snowing over the weekend and nearly all of today there's now a few inches coating everything outside and I'm practically giddy with excitement. The last couple of years our winters have been so strange and unpredictable, so despite two sick babies I made a point to get outside and enjoy it. The groomed trails up at the Government Peaks Recreation Area would have been ideal but good naps were a must today today so we stayed close to home instead. Luckily there's plenty to explore around here especially at Riggs' pace.

It was Raina's first time in the sled and in real snow and she seemed to really enjoy it...as usual, she was all smiles. Riggs was up for skiing but just "not too fast, mama". I put my skis on too which seemed to make me even more eager to hit the actual trails as soon as possible. I'm hoping to go without the kids once a week this winter, but once every two weeks is probably more realistic. Luckily our ski club has double chariots available for use, which is so much better than shelling out the $800 myself.

We are very thankful for this little bit of snow, but are also anxious for more. It's December now, so please, let it snow! Christmas will be here before we know it and we need at least another six inches of snow to make it really feel right or this time of year.

toddler nature walks [winter edition]

Ever since first becoming a mom, getting outside has been a priority. Every day, we try to spend at least 15 minutes outside. Most days we spend at least an hour. We go on walks around the neighborhood and just play in the yard and the woods surrounding our yard. In the summer, we spend nearly all day every day outside, except for naps and meals (many times we have those outside too and when Riggs was a little baby he often napped outside!). It just seems so much easeir to parent since there are endless things to do and nearly no worries about making a mess or breaking something.

And then winter comes along. In Alaska, it's cold and what we consider to be winter for nearly 9 months. The leaves are completely gone in October and its below freezing nearly the entire month. There's snow on the ground for at least 4-5 months of the year.

Freezing temperatures + snow = needing to bundle up. Needing to bundle up a toddler makes getting outside a lot less easy than it is in the summer. But, there's a Scandinavian expression that says, "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes" (I read that here but have heard it many times before) and I've found that to be so true!

As long as I have the right clothes to put on my toddler (and myself!) getting outside and most importantly staying outside, becomes pretty easy.

This winter our weather has varied greatly. At Christmas we had over two feet of snow and it was -22 degrees. Then it was 45 degrees for nearly the whole month of January and all our snow melted. And now there's a light dusting of snow and a lot of hoarfrost from all the cold temps we've had so far in February. And for each different type of weather we've needed different clothes to get outside and enjoy ourselves.

I've also found that as Riggs gets older, he wants to explore with his hands. That means that often times mittens and gloves just get in the way of picking up pinecones and feeling their funny texture. They get in the way of stowing rocks in his pockets. But without them, his hands freeze and that's means outdoor time is usually over for the moment.

I've been learning to let that happen, to let him explore how he wants to, even if it means no mittens for part of the time. We've learned together that exploring with no mittens for a few minutes is ok, and Riggs has learned to ask for his mittens back when his hands start to get cold.

I'm always so amazed at how much nature seems to soothe and calm Riggs. Although he plays actively most of the time that he's outside, he often stops to just take it all in. I'll see him just stop and look around him, thinking deeply. I wish I knew just what was going through his mind.

I'm always even more amazed to realize how soothing nature is to me. I don't know why it always seems to surprise me, since I know it's a vital part of maintaining my mental health and overall wellbeing. Yet there I'll be, looking up at the branches of a massive spruce tree above me, thinking, I needed this today.

And so we make it a habit to get outside, and it keeps us not only sane, but happy and fulfilled. Have you gotten outside as much as you've wanted to this winter? If not, what has been holding you back?

I find that the days I really really don't feel like making the effort to get outside, that those are the exact days I need it most. I encourage you to make it a goal this week to get outside at least once when you wouldn't normally because I promise you, it will make you feel better!