two pixies, three salmon and a family of moose

Gotta love Riggs' style: pj shirt, pixie wings, bogs and that's it.

I was sick all weekend with a severely sore throat (I lost my voice completely by Sunday) so me and the kids stayed around the house both Saturday and Sunday other than a quick trip into town Sunday for a few groceries. We went to Save-U-More and found fairy wings and dress up skirts for under $2 a piece plus a tinker bell costume small enough to fit Raina - they haven't come off the kids yet. I'm pretty sure Riggs wore the same pajama shirt the entire weekend, both to bed and during the day, but honestly I didn't have the energy to care.

Steve went fishing with a friend on Sunday and came home with some fresh King Salmon - which we were all thrilled about. Raina ate an entire grilled tail filet on her own! The girl loves her salmon. The kids watched Steve filet the fish and then package them into bags for freezing and then "helped" him grill some and at them completely plain right off the grill at 8:30p when they were supposed to be in bed asleep. It was a fun way to end the weekend and I was happy for the learning experience it provided them as well.

We also had a cow and calf visit while we were out playing and cleaning the fish and I swear they were the most chill pair we've had visit yet. The cow didn't even look up when my kids ran around yelling and chasing each other in the circle right where I'm taking the pictures from. At one point her calf came a little too close and tried to eat right were the cow was and she sent it off with a quick nip; then looked up at me while my kids were running wild behind me and I felt a silent communication pass between us, as if despite our differences, we shared a common bond through our experiences as mothers. It was a special moment, and I stayed out and watched them for nearly half an hour after the kids lost interest and went back to watch Steve.

Through the Lens: Spring & Summer 2016

A few of our life through the lens of my DSLR: May through September.

PALMER: our 'old house', which we sold in June
1 | fun in the play tent   2 | reading together   3 | getting familiar with the potty   4 | "What's in there?"

HOMER SPIT: July in Homer
1 | my baby girl is two   2 | the beach is fun

OUR AIRSTREAM: august
1 | Raina during nap time  

OUR PROPERTY: august - west hill, homer
1 | working late nearly every night after kids are in bed   2 | beautiful sunsets   3 | coming in for the night to see the sweet sleeping faces of my big boy   4 | Riggs at four years old: scrapes and bandaids everyday

Seldovia Day Trip

We were invited to visit Seldovia for the day by some new friends and took advantage of the offer, which included a free ride, amazing weather and great companionship. One of Steve's lineman friends/coworkers who he also grew up with in Homer is married to my cousins cousin (Are you confused yet? Because I am...) and their family run Rainbow Charters in Homer. We met at their office on the spit (same boardwalk as Finns, yummmmm) then walked down the ramp to the harbor where the boat was waiting for us.

It was really nice to be on a bigger boat with comfy indoor benches and bathrooms, plus some toys and puzzles for the kids. Riggs and Raina were so excited to be on a 'big boat' and all the kids kept yelling "Seldovia!" over and over. When the boat started moving things got even more exciting, but after about a minute Riggs asked, "Are we almost there now?" I had to laugh because we hadn't actually even left the harbor yet! 

 We left the harbor around 10:30a, looping around Gull Island to check out the birds on our way. Near Yukon Island we stopped to watch some humpback whales breaching and diving, then again further along to watch a raft of sea otters drifting alongside the boat. You'd think the kids would have like the animal sightings a bit more than they did, but it's hard for them to see them and the excitement wore off pretty quickly. They were happier playing with the toy humpbacks than watching actual humpbacks in the bay, ha!

We motored into the Seldovia harbor a little after 1:00p and watched the kids play at the little playground right above the harbor for a bit before walking down to the historic boardwalk and crossing the bridge near the Seldovia Slough. The Seldovia area has been home to Native people for thousands of years, and served as a meeting place for various tribes up until the fur rush in the late seventeen hundreds. Russian fur traders came to Kachemak Bay to take advantage of the sea otter population, and by 1870 had settled into the sheltered waters of the Seldovia area, making it one of the oldest settlements in Cook Inlet. The 1964 earthquake caused the land to subside about four feet resulting in severe flooding during high tides, and the rebuilding of the town on higher ground. Now it's a small but active community that serves as a popular stop for out-of-state tourists and Alaskans alike.

There is abundant charm and beauty around nearly every corner and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a day trip or weekend getaway. We had a great time exploring at the kids' pace - but I'd love to go back with Steve at some point to check out the galleries and do some kayaking.

Ice cream was a must before we got back on the boat.