July 1-9, 2018 - 3 years 11.5 months - Forest Fair Weekend!

I found a leech on Kadin's nether regions and after letting him play with it a bit, Kadin asked me, "Can we keep him?  I want to name him poopie-poopie."  OK… time to Google "how to care for your pet leech."  Wow, gotta love Google.  I am NOT the first Mom to ask that question!

We went to the Forest Fair in Girdwood this weekend and the kids just took over the place, running across the stage and having a blast.

  

Here's a video of him dancing to the live tunes!

And then playing with the corn hole toss game in the beer garden (while Mama sat on the side and had a beer).

After the playground, Kadin wanted to check out the skatepark next door and was fascinated by all the tricks the skaters were doing on the ramps.  I think we spent 2 hours here.  The skaters loved him and even lent him a board to play around with.

Mostly Kadito has way too much energy to sit and do art, but this was a rare after-lunch quiet moment and we spent about an hour at the kid's table, making an octopus and decorating butterflies.

Walking around the festival and randomly finding a few hula hoops to try out.

May 1-9, 2018 - 3 years 10 months

Proud Mama moment… I ordered breaded green beans for us at the Sheep Creek Lodge as a lame attempt to provide my child with a vegetable and guess what!  He not only loved them but peeled the greasy breading off and ate only the green bean part and said, "Yummy!!"

Later on, a band started up, playing fun rockabilly and lounge music and Kadin said, "Too loud" and would only watch from outside.  (Can you spot him?!)

My little helper these days… "Me help Mom, ok?"  And he cleaned every window on my car, including the sideview mirrors.  He started to try to wash the entire car, and I managed to convince him that he had already helped out plenty.  

OK, this might be one of my favorites… picturing him as a 30-year-old intellectual in his university office… absolutely too cute!

We must have spent over an hour playing in an old log pile, climbing up and down, "catching fish in the lake" (the bottom of the pile was the lake, sticks were our catch), and getting Bucky to follow him down the rabbit hole.

Buckarooni!

Our new favorite bathing spot on the 2nd floor of the Fairview.  It's my favorite because, one, I can get in the tub as well, and, two, they let me order a drink and bring it up to the bath.  Heavenly!

Kadito, Buck, and I had a great time just playing in the hollow across the street from our house.  Kadin would throw the ball down into it and we would sometimes have to give Bucky directions to find the ball – and he got it!  Gee (right), Haw (left), Uh uh (nope), Da Vuelta (turn around), and Sigue, sigue (keep going).  Kadin won't let me take many photos but he loves showing his talents on video!

August 1 - 15, 2017 - 3 years 1 month

Kadin watches the other kids balance the plate on the stick after the Juggling Show.

And then he tries it himself!!!!   

Kadin, hanging out with his friend Alden, at the Juggle Whatever Show.

It's so fun to run into Kadin's friends around town… here Kadin is playing with Soleil at a sunny Live at Five show.

Kadin didn't want to get into the car when Live at Five ended, so he ran around the car several times, jumping into all of the mud puddles until his face was sufficiently splattered.

Fun on another sunny day at X Lake!  He would run and jump into the raft over and over again… see the video below.

Eventually, even Kadin tires out and he decided to chill in the raft for an adorable summer portrait.

Moose!  We pulled over so Kadin could get out of his carseat and actually see them.  Afterwards, everytime I put my brakes on or slowed down, he would ask, "Alce?" (Moose in Spanish)

I went into Conscious Coffee to order and thought Kadin was outside playing with the Tonka trucks.  Instead, I found him sitting on the couch, reading!  

We went out to the Talkeetna River on the other side of the trestle bridge and Kadin found a giant glacial melt pool to play in.  The water was icy but it didn't faze Dito… he played in it for an hour!

The best toy ever… a double roll of birch bark he found in the water… which became a boat zooming all around.  See video below.

A throwback to my days of artsy photos… Both Kadito and I love spirals, especially in nature. 

He saw so many boats cruise by when he was playing in the river the other day, that I booked us a tour up the Chulitna with Mahays.  Yay!!!

The boat tour included a stop at a recreated Athabaskan village where Dito could run around and play with moose antlers and fur.  (And scare the tourists when he'd eat the high bush cranberries without asking me first.)

What a busy couple of weeks!  It was Salmon Day today, and the Ranger Station and Susitna River Salmon Center put on events for kids of all ages.  

Kadin swimming and counting boats

Kadin jumping into the raft!

Kadin playing with his birchbark boat.

November 8 - 15, 2016 - 2 years 4 months

Maw!!!
(Kadin calls planes "maws", based on the sound we make when we pretend to fly them… maaaauuuwww….) 

Our first night home! 

Maw!!!  
(Kadin also calls cats "maws", based on the obvious….)  

Kadin crashed Jeremy's birthday celebration and I don't think he realized it wasn't HIS birthday again!  Jeremy was less than pleased...

Video Link:

https://youtu.be/W8FbKc1bWb0

July 1, 2016 - July 3, 2016 – 23 months and 3 weeks – PART 2: FOREST FAIR IN GIRDWOOD

Ama went off to visit other friends in Copper Landing and we packed up our camping gear and headed to Girdwood for the Forest Fair. 

Here, Kadin and I stop at Burrito King in Anchorage for dinner before driving one more hour south.

Friday evening, we set up camp and catch the last music show.  The popcorn booth was closed, but Kadin pulled his best labrador puppy imitation and begged a shirt full off of a nice lady and her daugher (you can see them in the background).

The next morning, Kadin was heading off to the festival in true Girdwood style – naked!  I managed to throw a quick outfit on him and we went off to hear some more awesome music (and Kadin was on the look-out for more popcorn).

Chillin' at the Youth Stage

Met up with Regan, Ben, and their kids, Nia and Teo.  Amazing to see how big they are!!!

We met up with Tressa too, although I didn't get a photo of her, she took this one as we listened and danced to more music.

Tressa and Regan both only stayed for the day, and in the evening I grabbed dinner for Kadin and I and went into the beer garden for a drink before heading back to camp.  I should have know that the beer garden was where all the kids were!  Kadin ate a bit of dinner, spied a young girl with popcorn, and had a new best friend.  Soon, there were about 8-10 kids playing in a mini-forest grove with the parents chatting, enjoying their beers, and keeping an eye on all the little ones.  AWESOME!

(BTW, Kadin is just in front of the kid with the tye-dyed shirt, not quite in view in this photo.)

More kids in the beer garden...

After the kid party broke up, I was about to head to our camp, when Kadin spotted another group of "kids" with popcorn.  He ran over to a group of 8+ college friends and asked the big blonde guy to pick him up.  What a hoot!  They were originally from Kodiak, seemed tickled pink to hang out with a silly toddler, and Kadin hung out with them for more than an hour.  

He actually hung out with one more group of adults who also had popcorn, but by then he was finally fading and we crawled home and read stories in the tent until we both passed out around midnight.

Our final day at the Fair and we finally got our own GIANT bag of popcorn!

July 7, 2015 - 11 Months, 23 Days Old

Busy day working, and was super happy to have both Heather and Angelo around during the day to help with the craziness.

June 1, 2015 - 10 Months, 18 Days Old

Not even sure what I did today, but no pictures were taken.  Oops.  Not every day can be exciting.  These two shots are from the next day, featuring Kadin on the mandolin and guitar.  My little musician.

March 28, 2015 - 8 Months, 14 Days Old

I got Kadin a lap harp of his own since he loved the guitar and violin so much.  So far, so good...