Ya Ya's visit up North

Tuluk and Esther watching the weather outside on the morning of Ya-Ya's arrival. Tuluk went by snowmobile far out onto the tundra that day to check his brother's blackfish trap out under the ice of a meandering slough. Blackfish must be amazing to be living under the ice!

Arriving by the skin of her teeth Easter Eve, my mom came and spent a week with us up here in Hooper Bay. She was on the last plane in that evening, after a harrowing day of delays due to our buddies Alaska Airlines, and by the time she got to Bethel, weather was rising on the tundra out here, rising winds and blowing snow. One bush airline cancelled flights, and I was holding my breath till I heard (via VHF radio -- how did I ever live without one? It's the information hotline) that her flight was 25 minutes out. It's still not a guarantee, since sometimes pilots will make the effort to get out to a village, only to see that the weather/visibility has closed down so fast that they can't land on the airstrip and have to turn back to Bethel. But, luckily, it all just came together and my mom got on the ground 30 hours after she left Indiana the day before. I have an awesome, adventurous mom! She's so great to even want to come out here, and then to endure the wild travel... she's a superstar. :)
Esther and Mom outside the new Hooper Bay Restaurant/Church building.
So she also got here in the nick of time to experience our new Hooper Bay highlight: The restaurant! The restaurant was built by volunteers from the missionary organization "Samaritan's Purse" last summer. The building is one-half restaurant and one-half church, but we have lovingly dubbed even the restaurant the "Jesus restaurant." It's basically a hamburger joint, sans fries, where you can get a double-cheeseburger with lettuce & tomato for around $6. But they also have soft-serve ice cream AND the option of milkshakes-- Hoorah, we all scream with JOY for it. SO it is definitely an exciting addition to our town, even if it is only open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. It is also an awesome hang out for kids, as they have games and a football table and stuff like that. It's always packed to the brim with kids, and it's wonderful to see they have a healthy place to hang out.
Esther and YaYa play Chutes & Ladders at the Restaurant
Kids hangin' and playing games at the restaurant

It's also a little over the top with the Jesus stuff. Ya know, I don't care what people do or believe if it gives them happiness and hope, and I'm not downplaying all the great things that Samaritan's purse has done for the people of this town (built houses in the wake of the fire, built this restaurant, brought guest speakers/singers etc. to entertain), but it just seems like if you're gonna do nice things for folks, just do the nice stuff, don't make it with religious strings attached. I guess I don't totally know the reasoning behind their approach, but, like I said, it is a little over the top.

When you walk in to the restaurant (after taking off your winter clothes in a wonderfully large clothes-room), the first noticeable thing is the Jesus music. It's broadcasted through a sound system and also can be viewed, Kareoke-style on two big flat-screen TVs posted on either ends of the restaurant. It's the kind of Jesus music that's meant to be "hip!" and appeal to the younger (maybe as yet unconverted?) generation. It's the kind of music that gets into your head and you find yourself waking up to it at 2:am.

Then there is the wall of Jesus books, with titles such as, "The Bride of Christ," and "The Spirit Subdues." AND there was a special mini-golf event inside the restaurant, and if you stood back and looked at all the mini-golf stations, they spelled out "JESUS." And then there's this: here is a shirt that's on sale near the counter --
Although I have not neglected religious education with Esther -- we have had many discussions on her level about what I believe and what others believe -- I think she has gotten more exposure to Christianity at the restaurant than anywhere else. Which is why it totally made sense when she spouted this incredibly hilarious statement: "Right, God lives at Church and Jesus lives at the Restaurant?" Yes, there's Jesus in the back, flipping burgers.

But it was great to show off the hot spot of our village to my mom, and as she said, "It's not a bad burger at all!" It's just one more thing that we're not missing from the outside world: fast food. And since we get it so rarely, YES I do let my child eat it -- though she doesn't like it too much! (ha -- success of the whole-foods mom!) Except for the ice cream... yeah, I've passed on my sugar tooth. *sigh*
Esther getting into her Easter basket
Then the next day was exciting: Easter! And this year, Esther was not afraid of the Easter Bunny (last year she was terrified for some reason) and totally got into the egg & basket search. But we managed to traumatize her again, because it was my bright idea to try to teach her "hot" and "cold" to help guide her searching. I thought it would make the search more fun until, when I was excitedly telling her "You're hot, hot!", she turned to me in tears. Great job, mom! First I try to teach her to stay away from hot stuff, then I encourage her to go to something by saying it's hot -- well, what can I say, it was early and I hadn't woken up yet! Well, she ended up having a good time and getting lots of goodies from the Easter bunny. And yes, I let her eat Easter candy.
Coloring Eggs
We had an Easter dinner at our teacher buddy Tina's house, and then visited Tuluk's family's house, so that my mom could meet his family and his mom. It was a really nice, relaxing day.

I had to go to work all week, but Esther and my mom had great grandma-baby time, and even though Esther spiked a fever a couple days that week, it was OK because they got to snuggle and read lots of books. The week went too fast, and although I was happy that my mom got to make her flights (though not without more drama from Alaska Airlines) and get home on time, I couldn't help but wish a snowstorm had come up to keep her with us. Ah, well -- we'll see her in July. :)

Esther's first Dogsled Ride

Esther and lovable Maku "Moochie" dog -- she has been wanting to find a dog she could "ride" like this forever! Since she read the "Carl" picture books when she was a year old. Finally, Moochie was accommodating and sweet for her.

Right in time for the Iditarod season, Esther got her first dogsled ride! We visited our best buddies' Jill & Jeremy's house in Nikiski, Alaska, on the Kenai penninsula, where they are building their house and training their dogteam last week.
Esther and Jill on their bluff overlooking the ocean and mountains, a five minute walk up the hill from their cabin.

We had a great time in their warm and cozy cabin, where they are homesteading in the long tradition of Alaskan homesteaders. I'm very proud of Jill living without running water, Jeremy building the house himself, and both of them figuring things out as they go along. Jill & Esther & Ruby
Esther being a trooper on the outdoor potty chair! Sorry, I can't figure out how to get this picture to be vertical -- sorry for any neck-craning!

Slackline Kennels (their team name) is still overbrimming with wonderful dogs, and it's so impressive to see how professional and smooth their dog mushing operation has become. They have a great system, and their dogs are so well taken care of. I was reading some ridiculous criticisms of the Iditarod today online, in which people were saying that dog mushing is animal cruelty and all that nonsense. You only need to spend 5 minutes looking at Jill & Jeremy's dog lot to see that these are some healthy, well-cared-for, and insanely happy dogs. And they love to run -- they get super excited when they are getting hooked up, and their howling is soothing to the spirit. It was a great visit, as you can see!

Jill & Esther in the doglot, meeting the dogs.
Taking a break in the doglot while the team gets ready.
All packed in the sled and ready!
Right before take off. Sorry, another one I can't figure out how to make right-side up.

Esther totally loved the ride -- they even had a few bumps and dumps along the way, and she got right back in the sled, excited and chatting with Jill the whole way. They even got back after dark! What a cool experience.

Grown-up Litter

Esther taking Fancy for a ride on her bouncy horse -- Fancy looks thrilled, doesn't she? :)


Talk about a pile o' puppies!



The whole cute group, at about 5 and a half weeks, right before they were given to their prospective homes...

The remaining two, Fancy and Draco, who have no idea what's in store for them during their first bath.

Little wet rats! :)


They survived, contrary to what they believed when they were getting washed off. :)

Puppy Update

The puppies are growing bigger by the minute and getting cuter all the time. They are waddling around now after their mom, and they have their eyes open, which makes them seem more puppy-like. It's pretty fun so far, especially because Abby has been doing such a good job of cleaning up after them -- I don't have to pick up poop or anything. :) Here are the 2&1/2 week pictures:

Puppies!

Yes, we are now a household overbrimming in fur: Seven puppies were born to Abby on January 23. They are still just little squeakers, crawling around without even their eyes open yet. Most are boys, and all are spoken for -- in fact, I have folks on the waiting list! So it's been a really great venture so far, with a rosy ending in sight, when the pups are big enough to be weaned.... Here are some pictures!

Esther's 3rd Birthday -- November 19

Wearing the hat her grandmother Melba made for her birthday

It was just what a 3rd birthday should be: all kinds of tooth-rotting goodies, a bunch of cousins to help celebrate, and a couple special surprises. Oh, and don't forget the frazzled mom who was under the table by the time everyone left. :) Just thought you might like to see some pictures of the celebration.

Esther wearing her birthday crown, holding her birthday wand, next to her homeade cakes, with cousin Sheila.


The festivities


Here are the five girl Josephs born within 6 months of each other: Patricia, Alicia, Sheila, Esther, Heather


Esther with her Dad on her birthday

Our Annual Seattle meet-up!

Our Annual Seattle trip was full of great visits with truly awesome friends, who stay close friends regardless of the time and distance between us in the rest of life. And of course Esther and Ya-Ya had the best time together!

Here are Esther and Ya-Ya under the amazing aquarium at the Rainforest Cafe.

Esther with Adriana and Sandra -- Esther and Adriana are destined to be best buddies:

We got to meet Lucas Hunter Marshall, the newest addition to the Marshall family, and he is so super cute and STRONG!:

And it was great to stay with our heart-friends Joyce &Erik (and we even caught a glimpse of Sylvia!):
We also had a great dinner and evening with Melissa & Dan and Carrie & Kara. It was a great trip, and for the first time in years, (knock on some major wood!) I didn't get stuck in the airport either direction.... :)

The first snow: Early October

What a gorgeous surprise to wake up to, one Saturday morning in early October: our first snow, and a substantial one, too. Esther had cousins Avery and Jasmine over for a sleepover, so we all got dressed to go "play out."Jasmine making snow people on the porch.

And of course, a roll down the hill was necessary:

Our sweet new Addition

Abby!

She's just the best dog. We rescued her from certain Hooper Bay dog death, and I think she knows. She is probably around a year old, and she is the spitting image of the dog I fell in love with, here, two years ago -- must be the original Odin's daughter. She came with the name Abby and I was going to change it, but then it just suits her sweet nature.

She's excellent with Esther, as you can see, and she's very happy being an outside dog. In fact, she seems to think her little house that we built for her is the bomb. She has also caught tundra mice in the grass on our walks, so I am really afraid to let her in the house with my kitty Ping. Best to just keep them in their separate realms, I think!

She's just the perfect dog for us: not small, but not too big, really nice coloring and a good thick fur coat, and a very lovable demeanor. Note that the stripe down her snout goes all the way onto the black of her nose! Cute.

The Fall Tundra

Fall on the tundra lasts a millisecond -- it's good to capture it while it lasts:

Behind Esther, to the right of her, you can see the small arch of a rainbow.

Esther catching a ride on Tuluk's shoulders.

In this picture, it's early October, and already the sun is rising so late that I could take this sunrise picture from my classroom window during the first hour of school (so around 9:30am), I think.