Finishing up 2018: August 15 - December 31, 2018 (4 1/2 years old)

OK, I'm finally finishing up 2018…

Kadin and Baiba in Rehobeth on the kiddy rides - August 2018

Kadin visits his cousin Maddox - August 2018

We took the flag-stop train to a pretty camping spot along a river.  Nice fall camping trip (September).

Kadin's first school picture - Preschool

Yes, he is repetitively stabbing his pumpkin with knives.  No, I am not overly worried about this.  :-)

Kadin all dressed up for Suzy and Kassie's wedding in November.  This is one of the few photos when he wasn't wearing a mask due to all of the smoke from the Paradise Fires.

Feliz Navidad mi amor

December 16 - 31, 2017 - 3 years 5 months

Making cookies with an active and enthusiastic 3 year old is challenging… I mixed half of the chocolate chip recipe with half of the molasses cookie recipe and came out with something in between… Still yummy and fun in then end and with enough sugar, butter, flour, and chocolate chips, anything takes good, right?

El Capitán Kadito Finn  ¡Arrgh!  My Mom's yearly Christmas tree ornament gift for Kadito, in line with his latest fascination with pirates and boats.

Christmas Day

He was so cute with the Santa hat on but would NOT let me take his picture… this was all I could get.

Video:  Kadin with his Rocket Shooter on Christmas Day.  I have to admit, it might be a one-day-wonder, but I still want to try it at night and see if they really glow in the dark… it just has to get above 0ºF at some point.

December 1 - 15, 2017 - 3 years 5 months

Kadin pulls another kid with his awesome balance bike on skis during the Wilderness Woman's Contest in Downtown Talkeetna. 

An early gift of my original MatchBox Cars Carrying Case with about 20 of my cars that I've kept for all of these years.  I'm glad he was as excited to receive it as I was to give it to him.

This year we did a "composite" tree with two little sprucelings zip tied together to make one Alaskan Christmas Tree.  

Biking in the gravel pit at sunset – that means at 3:30pm.  Arrrgh!

After all that biking, Kadin didn't even want his hot cocoa and even with a cookie in his hand, he still was about to say, "Me no like fotos, Mama!"  Arrrgh!

December 16 - 31, 2016 - 2 years 5 months

I told Kadin these were our Christmas "stockings" and so he tried to put them on his feet and walk around!

Playing hide-and-go-seek with the lockers at the Wasilla pool, where we go occasionally to swim.

Making gifts for others.

All the gifts wrapped and under the tree!  Yay Mama!

Christmas day – train set and table from Grandma Baiba.

Naked chef boy loved his new kitchen!

Playgrounds have their challenges in the winter but they are still super fun!

New Year's eve fireworks!  Oooh.. Aaaah…!
Kadin loved them once I put his ear protection on his head.  Before that, the loud noise just made him cry.

December 1 - 15, 2016 - 2 years 5 months

Eating snow again!

New loft addition and Kadin's play room!

Alaskan Christmas tree… White spruce sapling from the forest around my home.   I try to cut one down that is close to the road and grouped around a bunch of other saplings, to feel a bit better about the sacrifice. ;-)

Yummy smoothie!

Future big-rig driver!

December 23 - December 29, 2015 - 17 months and 2 weeks

Merry Christmas! 

We had a lovely family morning, opening gifts under the tree, snuggling with the dogs, and then going outside to try out Kadin's new skis!

We then headed over to Mia's for a lovely dinner and fun times.

When Kadin first saw "Santa", he burst out crying and was scared of me until I talked in my normal voice AND pulled off the beard.  By the afternoon, he was used to it though, so hopefully when Santa visits next year, it won't be such a scary surprise!

December 25, 2014 - 5 Months 11 Days

Merry Christmas!!!

Thank-you White Spruce, for making room for our future house and providing us with a beautiful Christmas tree.  

I was actually feeling sick as a dog with a runny nose and a low-grade fever, and only made it about 5 minutes on this walk before returning home to bed.

December 24, 2014 - 5 Months 10 Days

Christmas Eve started with the best gift ever — a court date to officialize the adoption of Kadin Finn Pironis!!!  Of course, he slept through the whole thing.  

We now just have another 6-8 weeks to get the final documents in the mail... 

We closed the evening allowing Kadin to open one gift and he loved playing with the talking doggie Scout until a real doggie butted her way in!  Thanks Grandma Mary!

December 12, 2014 - 4 Months, 28 Days

Our Christmas tree is up and lights are on it, now we just need a few more ornaments.  Kadin loves staring at the pretty lights!

December 9, 2014 - 4 Months, 25 Days

Our first Christmas tree ornament arrived from Grandma Baiba the same day Danial brought the tree over from her house.  (We had to chop a spruce down for our future home and are using the top of it as our Christmas tree this year.)  Kadin was fascinated by the shiny ornament and of course, had to see if he could eat it.