Visit from the Gardners

My sister & her sweet fam came to Alaska for the first time for about a week in mid-June. We loved our time with them! It was especially fun to see the kids together, and it always makes me a teeny bit sad that our kids can't grow up with family close by. But we are all the more thankful for the time we do get! We had so much fun & made countless memories! And it sure didn't hurt that we had the absolute best week of weather while they were here that we've had in the entire 3 years we've lived in Alaska! 

Till next time, Gardners!! 

Visit from Uncle Bill

Derek's Uncle Billy came to visit us for a few days at the beginning of June, and we had the best time with him! We are so thankful he was able to make the trip to come see us. We did lots of adventuring--visiting the river, checking out Barbara Falls, hiking Matanuska Glacier, seeing the animals at the conservation center, and eating dinner downtown at 49th State. But my very favorite parts were the in-between moments spent swapping stories, getting teased by Uncle Billy, playing show & tell, and guacamole lessons from the expert himself! Time with family is such a gift.

{Uncle Billy's handiwork}

2025 Book Post #3

Read-Alouds
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech: This was the last homeschool read-aloud for the school year for Brady & me with our curriculum. I probably never would have picked this one up on my own, but we enjoyed it! It is super short and written entirely in verse. There is also a sequel, but we didn't feel compelled to read it. When Shelby first saw Love That Dog on our ottoman, she immediately exclaimed "Oh I love that book!" & picked it up to re-read it. :) 

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell: This book was named the children's book of the year for 2024 by Barnes & Noble, so we decided to give it a try. As you can probably tell from the cover, it's a fantasy novel. It took us a bit to get into and had a pretty complicated "world" to understand and follow along with. There was also a pretty dark beginning, but once we got into it we all really enjoyed it! The sequel of Impossible Creatures is The Poisoned King, and it releases on September 15th...we're all looking forward to it!

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan: Love, love, love this one! I have no idea how or why, but I have had this book on our own personal bookshelf for years {as in maybe from my days taking Children's Literature courses during grad school} and this was my first time reading it! Shelby had read it before a while back, but it was the first time for the rest of us. It's a historical fiction book set in Mexico & California during the Great Depression era. 

My Reads
This is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer: This book was one of Jenna Bush Hager's book club picks, and I keep telling myself to stop reading anything on her list...so I'm not totally sure how I ended up reading this. ;) While I adore JBH & love what she does to support authors & support literacy, her book club picks are usually a miss for me. This particular novel was written in verse, and the characters weren't very likeable in my opinion. 

Is She Really Going Out With Him? by Sophie Cousens: I think I am a Sophie Cousens super fan! I have loved each of her books that I've read so far. This is her newest release, and I adored it! 

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard: After reading Candice Millard's Destiny of the Republic about President Garfield, I immediately put this book on hold about Teddy Roosevelt's adventure in South America. I didn't like this one as much as the one about Garfield, but it was still absolutely fascinating to me to learn about a piece of history that was completely new to me! I look forward to reading more by Candice Millard.

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams: I didn't realize it when I initially put this book on hold, but this is actually the third book in Sarah Adams' "When in Rome" series. This book was a rom-com, but it was just okay to me. I doubt I will pick up a book by her in the future.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry: I have read each of Emily Henry's novels & enjoyed them all! This one had a bit of a different feel to her previous books, which I enjoyed!

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez: This is Abby Jimenez's newest book. It wasn't my favorite of hers, but I still enjoyed reading it!

Here's to more fun summer reading! 

May 2025

We packed a lot into May! Highlights of the month included: Shelby's last piano recital in Alaska, lots of end of the year band & orchestra concerts at the girls' school, an 8th grade hike, the last day of school, video auditions for the girls as they hope to continue their musical pursuits in Texas, and the start of summer! The owners of our home here in Alaska have listed it for sale by owner, so we've also had the added fun of keeping the house show-ready. ;)

{a recent crochet project that Hadley was commissioned for}

{Shelby's final orchestra concert had a "summer vibes" theme}

{learning about angles!}

{playing with his sister's hair while she read}

{Brady's first attempt at making his own oatmeal}

And last but not least, we participated in a 5K Color Run on base on the last day of May! It was a lot of fun!

These really are the days! So thankful for the gift of this life with these people.