Brough Family Life

Bed Time

2012-01-24T08:00:00.005-09:00

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jason. Jason liked to sleep with so many stuffed animals that there wasn't really room for him left in the bed. There was Froggy, Baby the Giraffe, Blue, Angel the whale, Laugh a lot Bear, and a poor ducky smooshed under his knee. But he sure is cute!

Tournament

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-09:00

This weekend was the Annual In-House Tournament for St. Jude's. This was the first year Jonathan was able to participate. Last year the tournament was at the end of his first week of Tae Kwon Do and there was just no way he was ready to participate. This year he was super excited to be able to raise money and participate in the tournament.

The tournament was divided by gender and age group. Each participant had the opportunity to participate in three skill areas; board breaking, pattern, and sparring. Since Jonathan is a yellow belt, white belts don't spar, he was able to participate in all three areas.

Breaking his board.

For the tournament they used practice boards but he has broken actual boards. For some reason he was very timid today, probably nerves, and had trouble breaking boards but he did well enough to tie for 3rd place.

Doing his pattern.

Jonathan had been practicing his pattern at home quite a bit and was very confident that he was prepared. His practice and confidence paid off with a 1st place finish.

Sparring.

There were only two yellow belt boys who were participating in the sparring portion of the tournament so Jonathan was guaranteed at least 2nd place. Both boys started out a little timid but once encouraged to go for it Jonathan went for it and came away with another 1st place finish.

Jonathan and his three metals.

I'm so proud of him. He set a goal to do his best and try to metal in all three categories and he met his goal. He was super proud of himself too.

Yellow Belt #2

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-09:00

Ever since Jonathan started Tae Kwon Do last January Jason has wanted to do Tae Kwon Do too. Kids can start classes as young as three as long as they are 100% potty trained. Jason turned three in April but unfortunately wasn't taking too quickly to potty training so despite his constant nagging he was unable to start Tae Kwon Do. When he finally (after 2 or 3 months) realized that not being potty trained was why he couldn't do Tae Kwon Do he was suddenly very motivated to potty train. His mantra became "If I potty train I can to Tae Kwon Do." By the end of August he was 100% potty trained and was able to start lessons in mid-September. Last week he earned his first belt promotion from white belt to yellow belt.

He was super happy.

Jason's yellow belt is different from Jonathan's yellow belt. Because of his age and general abilities Jonathan was able to start right up with regular Tae Kwon Do. Since Jason is so much younger he does a program called Tiny Taeks. This program moves at a slower pace than regular lessons and is specific to younger ages. They learn all the same stuff but have different belt promotions and different requirements. Jason is in the Little Dragon class, which he thinks is super cool! When Jason graduates out of the Tiny Taeks program, about age 7, he will enter regular Tae Kwon Do as a full yellow belt, like his brother is now.

Both the boys really love Tae Kwon Do and we are both very happy that they have such a good outlet for all their boy energy, especially in the winter!

Tubes

2012-01-19T08:00:00.001-09:00

Jason has always had problems with his ears. His ear problems go all the way back to his 6 month check-up. He's 3 3/4 now so these problems have been ongoing for over 3 years now. If you want the full rundown or need a refresher check the label ears and all my previous posts about his ears will come up.

We had a reprieve last winter and he only had 1 ear infection the whole winter. I thought maybe we were done with ear infections, maybe he'd just grown out of them. Unfortunately I was wrong. He got his first ear infection in September and by mid-December had been on 5 rounds or antibiotics. Finally I got fed up, switched Drs, and asked the new Dr about tubes. The new Dr said he would recommend tubes now given his history. So on December 20 we got a referral to an ENT.

Now being so close to the holidays I figured it would be after the first of the year before we could get in for a consult. Imagine my surprise to find out that they had an appointment available December 29! I didn't have to think long on that one. We met the ENT who said Jason was definitely a good candidate for ear tubes and said to go ahead and schedule surgery.

When I talked to the lady who schedules surgery for this dr I told her the next available appointment would work great and mentally began thinking about time off of work, a sub for Dan and all those details that I obsess over. I was shocked when she said he had an opening January 4. Not the most ideal way to spend our last official day of break but it also meant no one had to take time off of work. Dan was slated to return to work on January 5 but I didn't have to go back until the 9th.

Our report time to the hospital was 7am. Oh boy was that hard for us. We were on vacation. We had grown accustomed to going to bed at 3am and getting up at 10am. Never the less we made it, very tired, to our check in time.

Jason got all hooked up and dressed for surgery and then he got to watch some cartoons with his trusted friend Froggy. The whole surgery was super quick. We spent more time waiting in the room before and after surgery than he spent in surgery. Everyone Jason met was so enamored by him. He had his sweet, charming personality turned up to 10 that morning.
After surgery he came back to the room complaining that his ear was hurting. Poor baby he couldn't understand or process why his ear was hurting so much. We had to stay an hour after the surgery was done just to make sure he didn't have any complications from the anesthesia. Once we were clear we headed home and all took a glorious nap.

Jason woke up from his nap just as happy as could be. If you didn't know he had surgery you never would have guessed it. He was chipper and joyful the rest of the day. He has his two week post-op appointment today. I feel like things are going well but we'll see what the Dr says. He is also going to get custom ear molds made so he can take baths again. Right now we are stuffing his ears with cotton when he showers. Maybe ear molds will work better??? Dan said they didn't work for him but I'm willing to try, after all technology has come a long way since he was 3.

Moving to Alaska: Day 11

2012-01-18T08:00:00.002-09:00

Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Miles traveled: 588
Total miles traveled: 2571

Believe it or not Whitehorse is quite the buzzing tourist attraction in the summer. Getting a hotel was a bit more challenging than I had anticipated and we ended up staying in a strange little hotel. There was no air conditioning in the rooms and believe it or not it was quite warm. We had a hard time falling asleep partly because of the warmth and partly excitement of our last day on the road.

The hotel did have an interesting display in the lobby.

That is two bull moose racks permanently locked together. There is a photo of the skeletons in at the top of the picture, if you look close. The story goes that one fall a pilot flying over the area saw two bull moose with their antlers locked together. Knowing they wouldn't be able to get them apart he made note of the coordinates figuring he could go back and salvage the meat after nature had taken its course. Then winter came and the weather got bad and the pilot was unable to return to the area. When he finally returned in the spring all that was left were two skeletons. He took the racks and donated them to the hotel as a tourist attraction.

Before we left Whitehorse we went down to a little park in town that runs along the banks of The Yukon River. Let me tell you that is one fast moving river. The banks were such that there was no getting close and to be honest I don't think I would have anyway.

The Sternwheeler Klondike is also on display and we took a few moments to check out the exterior of the ship. Sternwheelers played a huge part in the settlement of inland areas in Canada and Alaska. We didn't do more than look around and snap a picture because we were ready to get on the road! It seemed like there was probably a lot of fun and interesting stuff to do in Whitehorse if you were up for more than passing through, but we weren't so we didn't.

After leaving Whitehorse we pretty much just drove and drove and drove. We stopped briefly in Haines Junction for some gas a snack and continued on our way.

At this point the road started getting pretty rough. There were hundreds of frost heaves and the bumps and potholes in the road made travel slow going.

One of the only stops we made on between Whitehorse and Fairbanks was at Lake Kluane. The scenery was breathtaking and we made sure to take many beautiful pictures including a family picture of all of us sporting our Vandal gear. We also took this opportunity to run and stretch little legs and skip some stones before continuing on the road.

WE FINALLY MADE IT TO ALASKA!

Once you leave Canada near Beaver Creek, Yukon there is about a 13 mile stretch of road between Canadian Border Patrol and United States Border Patrol. I'm honestly not sure which country we were in at this point. We had left Canada but had not entered the United States. It was odd. Some where in this stretch was the official Welcome to Alaska sign. You can't imagine how excited we all were to see this sign. Even though we still had several hours of driving a head of us it was comforting to know we were in Alaska.

The "big" town you come to once you cross into Alaska is Tok. We stopped in Tok long enough to grab some snacks, and caffeinated Mountain Dew which Dan was very excited about, fill up on and then we hit the road. Ok Dan and I also stopped for a silly picture.

The official end of the Al-Can is in Delta Junction, Alaska. This is where the Al-Can meets the Richardson Highway which is the road into Fairbanks. So although we had reached the "end" of the Al-Can we still had another 2 hours on the road. Still the excitement was building as we knew we were about to reach the end of our trip.

At the End of the Al-Can. From Dawson Creek, BC to Delta Junction, AK.

It was just a little windy in Delta... or a lot windy. Dan was seriously worried that he might lose his hat while we were there. Fortunately the hat was not lost and we continued on our way.

Somewhere outside of Delta Junction we were welcomed by two moose crossing the road. A fitting welcome to Alaska if you ask me.

We ended up arriving in my parents driveway in Fairbanks at about 10:30 pm. We unloaded the necessities, let the kids play for a bit, and headed to bed. Dan had a job interview the next morning and needed to be at least mostly coherent for it.

And that's the story of how we got to Alaska. It only took me a year and a half but I finally got the story all told! If you missed any parts of my story I'll put links to days 1-10 at the bottom of this page.

Coming soon I'll post my thoughts and advice for someone wanting to travel the Al-Can.

Moving to Alaska
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10

Sunset

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-09:00

December 31, 2011
3:00 pmAs of December 21 we are finally on the gaining end of daylight. 4 minutes a day doesn't seem like much but believe me it makes a HUGE difference. Before break the sun was down by the time I went out for afternoon duty at 3:30. Now when I head out the sun is still just above the horizon. Its AMAZING! Spring is on its way. Something I have to keep reminding myself of while its -30 outside. This picture was taken by my mother-in-law, who LOVES sunsets, during her visit.

Christmas Card Picture

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-09:00

This year I decided I wanted to showcase Alaska's cold weather on our Christmas card. So on one very cold day, though not the coldest we have had, we parked at a near by coffee shop and headed to the University of Alaska Fairbanks sign. The walk was less than 1/4 of a mile but at these temperatures cold gets cold fast. All 5 of us, my mom went with us to take the picture, were pretty cold by the time we got there. We had time to snap two pictures and then we needed to head back. The boys were starting to complain very loudly. The first picture we took turned out really good. This actually ended up being our Christmas card picture. And before you worry we had hats and hoods we just took them off for the picture. We wanted to make sure people could see our happy faces!
The expression on Jonathan's face sums up how we were all feeling. We were cold and really ready to head back and warm up.

So Merry (late) Christmas from the Broughs!

A Brough Family Vacation

2012-01-12T08:00:00.001-09:00

In September my in-laws decided that they wanted to come visit for Christmas. December is not exactly the ideal month to make your first ever trip to Alaska. In fact I'm pretty sure it's the exact opposite of ideal, especially if you're coming from a warmer climate like Portland, Oregon. Never the less up my in-laws came. They arrived on December 26 were greeted by a balmy -10. No seriously it was balmy. After several weeks of -35 and colder in November anything above -15 now feels warm. Its weird I know but that's life in Alaska. While they were here they actually got to experience both -42 and how warm -20 feels afterward.

I had to chuckle a little when I saw my mother-in-law all bundled up at -15. We were total opposites; she was as covered as she could get and I'd forgotten to put on gloves because it felt warm. Too funny!

After a quick stop for dinner we headed home for Christmas Round 2. In addition to gifts from the grandparents we had also saved all our gifts for each other to open that evening. We had a great time sharing stories, opening gifts, and watching the kids playing with their new toys. I even took advantage of another camera in the house and got out from behind mine. Turns out I can be rather silly when allowed to appear in front of the camera, as you'll see later.

Jonathan absolutely knocked it out of the park with his choice of gift for his brother. After spending several hours shopping and agonizing over the options Jonathan very thoughtfully chose to get his brother a doctor kit.
As you can tell from the look on Jason's face he was absolutely THRILLED with his gift. He immediately opened the box, put everything in the dr. bag and got a stuffed animal to examine.
Apparently Cody, Jason's special bear, needed his ears checked. What can I say, you play what you know. Since October Jason has had 5 ear infections and ended up getting tubes a few days ago. But I digress.

Jonathan only asked for one thing for Christmas this year. He desperately wanted the Siddeley Lego set from Cars 2. You can only imagine his disappointment when it didn't show up on Christmas day at AG and Granddad's. He got a lot of cool stuff that he really liked but was bummed there was no big Lego set.
Needless to say he was pretty darn excited when it showed up under our Christmas tree. He had a great time building the set and has had even more fun flying Siddeley through our house.
See I told you I get a little silly when I get in front of the camera. I have no idea what is happening here but apparently it warranted a goofy smile.

Oh that's a nice one!

We had a great Christmas. Dan got me a board game I've wanted for a really long time. I gave Dan a CD he's wanted for a long time and a Star Wars shirt. My in-laws LOVED the photo book I put together of our trip to see them this past summer.

And once the kids were bedded the adults stayed up way too late playing board games, card games and Wii Bowling. It was a great day!

Quick Christmas

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-09:00

Ok, we are 2+ weeks removed from Christmas. A new year has started, school has started so I feel a little silly posting about Christmas but with company in town I just didn't have time to post. So as silly as it feels I'm doing a quick post about our Christmas.

The boys put out milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. Jonathan was quite concerned that Santa wouldn't like the cookies because they weren't frosted. We assured him that Santa likes any cookies. Jason also made reindeer food at daycare which we put out for Santa to take to the reindeer.

Jason was super excited to see his stocking. The first thing he noticed was a Lama Lama plush from the Lama Lama stories. He was pretty excited, although Lama Lama has not yet been invited to cuddle at bedtime. He watches from the teddy net above. Santa totally spoiled the boys. Jason got candy and toys and games and books and puzzles. He was one happy camper.

Jonathan was very pleased when he saw his stocking. He loves the Skippy Jon Jones books, if you haven't read them you totally should, so he was pretty excited to see Skippy peaking out from his stocking. His excitement grew when he discovered Skippy was a puppet. Jonathan got candy and toys and games and books and work books and a paper airplane making kit.

Mom mom always fills stockings for Dan and me with some little fun items that we want or need. I got some cool sharpies, a crock-pot recipe magazine, makeup, candy, and some other stuff. Dan got batteries, shave gel, grading pens and a variety of other things.

Dan got to open his BIG Christmas present first. Normally this would be saved for last but this present was rather big and taking up too much space in the living room. My dad was sure Dan would know exactly what he was getting the moment he saw the big box but Dan was clueless. He was pretty excited when he saw the DeWalt box and even more excited when he realized it wasn't a used box it was actually what the box said it was, a 10' compound miter saw.
After we made some space in the living room there was room to take our annual family picture in front of the Christmas tree. There were far fewer out-takes this year than there have been in years past. Sometime I'll have to post all the pictures from our first Christmas married until now just to see how we have all changed!

One of my favorite gifts was my new lasagna pan. I fell in love with this cute red and white polka-dotted pan several years ago. This year my mom got it for me. I'm so excited one because its super cute and fun and two because I parted with many of my baking dishes when we moved. I can't wait to use it!
Mom and I were pretty pleased with our wrapping this year and as I sorted though pictures I noticed we took quite a few pictures of our pretty wrapping so I thought I would share one with y'all.

Last but certainly not least were the gifts that my dad had purchased for us all on his own. See Mom does most of the Christmas shopping and just signs Dad's to the packages. But there are a special few that are picked out and purchased by my dad. This year the boys got bunches of movies and we all got
and iPad. I also got a brand new laptop. My laptop was on its way out. I'll spare you the details but it basically wasn't functional anymore and would cost almost as much to fix as a new laptop. I'd lived with a paperweight of a laptop for over a year, hence the lack of blogging, but since I need to take a few online classes this wasn't going to suffice for much longer. I had mentioned this to my dad and he decided I should get a new laptop for Christmas. I was soooo excited!

We had a wonderful Christmas with my family. We are so blessed by them and so blessed that they live 4 short miles away.

Next I'll post about second Christmas with the other grandparents, their first trip to Alaska, and how they liked -40.

Not Quite Soup

2012-01-10T07:30:00.000-09:00

If we'd had soup for dinner Jason would have been face down in his soup. Instead he's laid his little head down on the table during dinner. He didn't get a nap and just couldn't handle it any longer. He looked at me and said "I'm tired," then he put his head down and was out.

We were at AG's house for dinner and since Jason was so soundly sleeping we moved him to the bed and the boys ended up spending the night at AG's house. That kid will sleep anywhere!

Break Over

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-09:00

Well it was a wonderful, fun, relaxing, busy and family filled 2 1/2 weeks but today it's back to all things normal. Today we go back to school, back to Tae Kwon Do, back to getting up early, back to making lunches, and back to routine. Break was nice but honestly we need to get back into a normal routine. The kids are starting to go a little crazy not having any "normal" in life. I definitely need to make sure that we have some sort of routine this summer or by the end of 3 months at home we may all be COMPLETELY CRAZY! So here we go head first back to "normal."

We had a wonderful visit with my in-laws and a fantastic Christmas. Santa was very very good to us. I'll blog about all that later, right now four empty lunch boxes are screaming to be filled.

Boots

2011-12-20T10:40:00.001-09:00

Four pairs of boots lined up on the stairs waiting for someplace to go.

We are in that season where shoes are indoor shoes and boots get worn every day. I can't remember the last time I saw my kids in any shoes other than boots. I don't even know for sure where Jason's shoes are, his backpack maybe. I was coming up the stairs when I noticed how fun our boots looked, sitting on the stairs, in order from largest to smallest. A winter portrait of a family.

Pajamas

2011-12-19T10:40:00.000-09:00

Last night the boys got to open a gift from my mom. She gets them a new pair of Christmas pajamas every year. We opened them last night that way the could enjoy them for the whole week before Christmas. This year's pajamas are Grinch Pajamas from Pottery Barn Kids.
Funny story, right after bath we tried to get Jason to put his pajamas on and he had an absolute meltdown. He absolutely did not want to put on the pajamas because "The Grinch is a scary bad guy and so mean." Every Grinch on the pajamas is smiling and happy but Jason was sure that the Grinch was mean all the time. We finally bribed him into the pajamas and then showed him the last few minutes of the movie to show him the Grinch is a good guy. After that he was fine with his new pajamas.

Christmas Guests

2011-12-15T08:25:00.000-09:00

In a 11 short days my in-laws will be joining us for the holidays. They fly up the day after Christmas and leave just after the new year. We've lived in Alaska for a little over a year now and this will be their first trip up here. I've told several of my friends that they are coming and everyone has had a similar response; "Really, in December?"

See December isn't the ideal time to visit Alaska. The days are short and the nights are long and dark. The midnight sun won't be out for months. The temperatures can be sub zero for days on end making it somewhat undesirable to do much outside. I would much rather have first time visitors come in the summer and see how truly beautiful Alaska is but my in-laws didn't want to miss another Christmas with the grandkids, I can respect that, so north they come.

Assuming the weather is corporative I have a few really fun activities planned for their visit. I want to take them to the Winter Ice Park in North Pole. I also think it would be fun all of us to go to the fireworks display that the University has on New Year's Eve. I've never been, mostly due to not wanting to fight crowds, so if we are going to go now seems the time! I also want to take them to the muesum, which isn't dependant on the weather.

Overall I know we will have a great time. We've already had a deep freeze in November and recently the temperatures have been pretty mild. I'm hoping that the weather will wait to bottom out until the day they leave. That way they can say they've experienced -20 but we can still enjoy some of the winter activities.

Kitchen Sleeper

2011-12-14T10:35:00.000-09:00

I've said it may times, Jason can sleep ANYWHERE. A few weeks ago he had an ear infection and the way his med times worked he needed to get up at 11pm to take his meds. So one night he came into the kitchen, found the rug, and went back to sleep.I mean how cute is that! I showed him the picture of himself the next morning and he laughed and said, "Funny Jason."

Moving to Alaska: Day 10

2011-12-13T06:00:00.001-09:00

Northern Rockies Lodge, Muncho Lake, British Columbia, Canada to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
Miles traveled: 437
Total miles traveled: 1983

There is absolutely NOTHING else anywhere near the Northern Rockies Lodge, and they know it! After we woke up and packed up we took a look at the restaurant menu and decided breakfast wasn't worth THAT much. A bowl of cereal was almost $6 and that didn't include the milk. We had granola bars, juice boxes, and water bottles in the car. So we agreed to skip breakfast, get on the road and eat a big lunch in Watson Lake. By cutting breakfast out we ended up getting a much earlier start than we had planned, which was very nice.

Muncho Lake was absolutely beautiful. The cloudy skies didn't allow for a great picture of the dazzling green of the water. We spend a few minutes enjoying the lake and then we were on our way.

There is lots of wildlife to be seen along the highway. One animal we were hoping to see was the Wood Bison. Just outside Muncho Lake we got our wish. First we saw this big guy on one side of a two lane bridge. It was both amazing and intimidating to see such a large animal up close.
On the other side of the bridge and a little way up the road we found this group of Wood Bison sunning themselves in a large, open, grassy area. We pulled off the road and took several pictures, a video, and made sure the boys got to take a good look at the herd.
Watson Lake is home to the famous Sign Post Forest. The sign post forest has been in existence since the Alcan was being build. Story goes that in 1942, during the construction of the highway, a homesick construction worker put up a sign showing how many miles to his home town. Many other people followed suit and so the forest began.

It's pretty amazing to look at. There are population signs, welcome signs, license plates and other forms of signage from all over the world. The boys ran around checking out all the cool things and looking for familiar signs. It was a nice stop to stretch our legs and burn of some energy.

Another view of the signpost forest. The place was immense and quite interesting. If we'd had more time we might have taken a closer look. However we were wasting no time so after a brief investigation we were off to gas up and hit the road.

Now keep in mind we have now been in Canada for almost 10 days. We've been filling up on gas daily, staying in hotels all over Canada, eating out and shopping. Most, if not all, of this spending had been done one one credit card. We hadn't had any problems at all until Watson Lake. When I went inside the convenience store to pay for our gas the card was denied. We figured it was because of the unusual activity, although we were all a little surprised it had taken this long to happen. The real problem was that the lady in the store was not at all patient or understanding of the situation. In fact she was down right rude. We paid with a different card and left quickly.

After leaving Watson Lake we made very few stops, mostly because there was NO PLACE to stop, on our way to Whitehorse. By the time we arrived in Whitehorse the excitement and anticipation of reaching Fairbanks tomorrow was almost unbearable. We were all ready to be done with the driving, done with hotels, done with eating out and off the road. ONE more day and we would be DONE!

Catch up on Parts 1 - 9 of our Adventure to Alaska
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

Hungry Eyes

2011-12-12T07:45:00.000-09:00

The title says it all, those are some hungry eyes! A couple of weeks ago Jonathan and I were making cookies for his class, and having an impromptu lesson on fractions. When I lifted the mixer to put the chocolate chips I caught him looking at the mixing beater with the hungry eyes. He did have the self control to only stare longingly and not actually lick the beater.

While we were making the cookies we had a talk about fractions and I was astounded at just how much he really understands about how fractions work. He knew exactly how many quarters would be in 2 1/4 cups. He was also able to break it into halves and quarters. Each measured ingredient he was able to talk about in at least two ways. He's in the first grade! I'm pretty sure I was in fifth or sixth grade before I understood fractions.

Sleepy Jason

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-09:00

Remember the other day when I said Jason can sleep anywhere in any position. Well I wasn't kidding.This is how we found him the other night. I went in to check on him before I went to bed and found him basically standing on the floor slumped over his bed. Of course I had to snap a quick pic as proof before I moved him. When I showed him the picture the next morning he said, "Wow mom I'm a silly sleeper boy!" Yes love, yes you are!

Lego Advent Calendar - Things I Love Thursday

2011-12-08T06:00:00.001-09:00

As mom of two little boys Lego and Duplo blocks are just part of daily life around here. On occasion Dan and I will even get involved in the building. Ok, who am I kidding, sometimes the kids have a hard time getting the Lego blocks away from us. What can I say there is something so fun about sitting down with a random pile of blocks and seeing what can be built.

When I saw the Lego City Advent Calendar in the store it was a no brainer to buy it and bring it home. And so I did, in September. For the last 2+ months the calendar has been sitting in the top of my closet waiting for December 1 to roll around. I wrapped it up and put it under the tree for a few days (yes I had my tree up and decorated before December 1) and the anticipation from my two boys grew each day. To say they were excited about the calendar would be understating their emotions. And honestly I'm excited too. I have absolutely NO idea what we will end up with after we open all 24 little doors and I can't wait to find out. It has been so fun each day opening the door, building the piece, and watching things taking shape.

Here is what we have built in the first 7 days of December: two people, what looks like a jail cell, a snowball launcher, a skateboard, two packages and a Christmas tree. I'll make sure to post a picture of everything once we've opened all the doors.

Sleepy Boy

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-09:00

Once there was a little boy who wasn't tired. He insisted that he wasn't tired at all. His grumpy frumpy attitude told everyone he was tired but he was sure he wasn't tired. He laid down in a nice, warm, comfortable bed for a nap but just didn't need sleep. He got up and took his trusty blankie and his baby giraffe and he made himself a fort behind AG's bed to play and there he fell asleep.

Ice Day Decorating

2011-12-06T06:00:00.003-09:00

Rain in December, unheard of you say?

It wasn’t on this December day.

No school in the morn,

A tree to adorn.

Let’s have some fun

While we get the job done

And enjoy an ice day

A very nice way.

Ok so I may not have a career in poetry but we sure did have a fun Sunday and Monday. There isn’t much that causes school to be cancelled in Alaska but freezing rain and icy roads is one of those things. Sunday evening we got the call that there would be no school on Monday due to poor and deteriorating road conditions. Sunday’s we usually have family dinner at my parent’s house and this Sunday was no different except that we had come prepared to spend the night. It had drizzled off and on all day and drizzle plus frozen ground is a recipe for poor road conditions.

Once we got the call that schools would be closed on Monday bedtime went out the window and we set about decorating my parent’s Christmas tree. Every year we each get a new decoration to put on my parent’s Christmas tree. It’s always an ornament that has some special meaning to the person who receives it. This year was no different.

Jonathan received a moose in a cocoa cup from Lenox. Before Jonathan was born we chose a moose theme for his room. He has moose galore. Stuffed animals, blankets, pillows, shirts, sweatshirts, books and pictures, you name it he’s got it. Cocoa is a big thing in our family. None of us, except my dad, are coffee drinkers but we all LOVE cocoa.

Jason got a little bear holding a cup of cocoa from Lenox. Jason’s bedroom theme was bears and for every moose item Jonathan has Jason has a bear item. And like I said we LOVE our cocoa! These were the two most perfect decorations for my boys.

Dan got an Oregon decoration. The old White Stag sign is an iconic Portland landmark. It’s right along I84 and you drive into downtown. Dan saw this sign every morning on his way to school and it’s something that really reminds him of Portland. While we were in Oregon this summer I found a decoration that depicted the White Stag sign and knew it was the perfect decoration for mom to give him. He was thrilled with it and the meaning behind the decoration.

I got a moose holding a teddy bear riding on a sled from Lenox. There is a story about me and moose which you can find here.

After we opened our decorations Mom took pictures of me and the kids hanging ours on the tree. Not sure how we missed Dan but we did. Sorry Babe! We still love you I promise!

This was like the third time we took this picture. Mom was trying to get the lighting just right. Clearly my smile wasn’t holding up through all the retakes!

Jonathan hanging up his moose. His expression is so serious.

Jason was having some difficulties hanging his decoration on his own so I gave him a hand.

At some point in the evening mom snapped this pic of the boys and me. I think it’s pretty darn cute.

We spend much of the afternoon on our "snow day" decorating the tree and now the job is done. Mom said this is probably the earliest we've ever finished the tree. We always have it up Thanksgiving weekend but decorating it can take several weekends. It's nice to have it done because now we have more time to enjoy!

Brotherly Love

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-09:00

My mom snapped this sweet picture of my boys at a local parade this past summer. I love this picture. Such a sweet moment captured forever. They may not always get along but they really are great friends.

In other news we are home from school today due to severe ice. School doesn't get canceled for much up here but freezing rain will bring town to a near halt. We are out at my mom's house waiting out the weather. We came out for our usual Sunday dinner but looked at the weather and decided we better come prepared to spend the night. So we will spend our day off sipping cocoa and decorating the Christmas tree at my moms. Should be a fun, unexpected, three day weekend.

Yellow Belt

2011-12-03T15:35:00.004-09:00

In January Jonathan started Tae Kwon Do. There is a school here that provides after school martial arts classes. So instead of going to daycare or someplace else after school Jonathan would go to Tae Kwon Do every day. He has an hour long lesson and then they work on homework or play until parents come to pick them up. It's a fantastic program! If you're in Fairbanks you should check out Orion's Belt School of Self Defense.

Jonathan has excelled at Tae Kwon Do. Its been wonderful for him to have such a positive outlet for his boundless energy. In addition to self defense skills they also teach life skills. We have seen a dramatic improvement in him behavior wise since starting Tae Kwon Do. In February, about a month after starting lessons, he earned his first belt promotion, white belt to yellow stripe. In mid October he tested again and was promoted from yellow stripe to yellow belt. We are all so proud of him!
Looking all serious for the group photo after the test. The serious expression and his stance makes him look so grown up, sniff.

Super duper proud of his accomplishment.

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-09:00

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Jonathan's class had a Thanksgiving feast to celebrate. Jonathan and I decided that he would bring two foods he likes that way he knew there was some acceptable food to eat. We agreed to bring corn and chocolate chip cookies. We made the cookies together but that is a story for another day.

Being a working mom is tough sometimes. I love my job but it often means that I miss fun activities at Jonathan's school. Jonathan is pretty understanding but it's lame having to disappoint him so often. When he asked if I was coming to his feast I knew I'd have to disappoint him again. He took it well but was noticeably bummed at the news that I would not be coming.

As it turned out that Wednesday was a VERY slow day at work and I decided to take advantage of a slow day and sneak away for an early and longer than normal lunch. Jonathan was absolutely thrilled when I walked in the room. The look of excitement on his face was absolutely priceless.

His teacher, is fantastic but I'll blog about him later, had a turkey dessert craft for the kids to do and I got to help Jonathan and a few of his friends complete the cute project.

Jonathan's turkey project. He ate exactly the way he put it together, once piece at a time. Several friends tried to eat theirs in one bite. That was amusing to say the least!

His teacher asked the adults to prepare plates for each of the kids that way there weren't 22 1st graders walking across the classroom with paper plates full of food. The kids were so sweet when their food was delivered. Everyone said thank you and several kids even gave me a hug when I served them.
Jonathan's joy that I showed up is absolutely transparent on his sweet little face. I'm so glad I was able to get away and make his day!

Neglected

2011-12-01T11:25:00.000-09:00

Ok so my blog has been suffering from some serious neglect, and quite honestly I don't like it one bit! Everyday I sit down and say I'm going to blog. According to my blog we spend months in Canada and that's simply not true! So December is the month where I get back to blogging. There is lots going on and I have a few unfinished stories that I need to wrap up! This weekend I'll finish up the story of going through Canada and update y'all on the other goings on in The Brough Family Life.

I'll be back! I PROMISE!

On Pause

2011-07-25T23:30:00.000-08:00

My recount of our trip is on pause. We are traveling and our hotel internet will NOT let me upload pictures. As soon as we are back in Fairbanks I will write the last two installments of our trip.

Moving To Alaska: Day 9

2011-07-24T07:00:00.001-08:00

Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada to Northern Rockies Lodge, Muncho Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Miles traveled: 384
Total miles traveled: 1546

Leaving Fort St. John we had two choices: drive 384 miles, an 8 hour drive, and stay at the Northern Rockies Lodge on Muncho Lake or drive 555 miles, a 12 hour drive, to Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada and find a place to stay there. Obviously an 8 hour drive, plus stops, was much preferred than a 12 hour drive, plus stops, so we opted for staying at Muncho Lake. Of course all this was dependent on the Northern Rockies Lodge having a room or rooms available. If they had nothing then we would have no choice but to press on to Watson Lake.

Thankfully when when we called the Northern Rockies Lodge had a room available. One room, two full beds, one twin and a private bathroom. Good enough for the five of us. And so we set off toward Muncho Lake.

Between Fort St. John and Muncho Lake there was Fort Nelson and that's about all. Honestly other than beautiful views, scenic vistas, wildlife, and road construction there is nothing between the point A and point B. So we drove and drove and drove some more. We stopped in Fort Nelson for lunch, not necessary because we were hungry but more because there was a Subway there and we had NO idea if there would be any food again. Fortunately we were smart and had a cooler of meat, cheese and condiments as well as bread, chips and some desserts stowed in the car. As it turned out that would be our dinner that night because upon arriving at our destination we discovered food was outlandishly expensive and it would have cost a fortune to feed a family of five!

Scenic vista some where between Fort St. John and Muncho Lake.

Two things about his picture. First of all we followed the same car from Pullman to Fairbanks. What are the odds of that? ;-) Second see those trailers in front of Dan's car. They are hauling some sort of pre-fabricated building and we played leap frog with them almost all day. We would pass them, get ahead and then when we stopped to stretch they would pass us again we the would start all over again.

There was another guy in a red pick up that we must have seen four or five times. Same deal, we pass him, we pull off, he passes us and then we pass him again when we get back on the road. He actually pulled into Muncho Lake to get gas just moments after we got in line to check into our room. Needless to say mom and I had a good laugh about that one. And I bet you can't guess who we saw when we got to Tok. :-) We still chuckle about that every now and then!

Crossing a bride over some river some where. Real descriptive, right?

We had the cars packed in such a way that the boys could either ride together in Dan's car or we could separate them if need be. Dan was listening to the Eragon series on CD and Jonathan got really into the story so he never moved cars because that meant missing part of the story. Jason on the other hand was passed back and forth several times over the course of the journey. Somewhere between Fort St. John and Muncho Lake mom and I realized that Jason had been awfully quite, too quite, suspiciously quiet. I turned around and found this scene.

Jason has in his hands the entirety of a box of tissues that he must have pulled out one by one. He has also picked up a second box and was trying to figure out how to get it open. Oh what a laugh we had!

The Northern Rockies Lodge.

The hotel and the lake were super nice. Our room had a sliding back door that was on a trail leading down to the shore of Muncho Lake. The lake was beautiful. It had that same jade green color that most of the lakes and rivers in Canada had. The water was cold but the boys had a great time skipping rocks and throwing rocks into the water. It was a great place for them to have a little freedom after a long day in the car.

Jonathan skipping/throwing a rock into the lake.

Jason after throwing a rock into the lake.

Super cute pontoon plane that is used at the Northern Rockies Lodge. Jonathan said it looked like a little rat. He was pretty enamored of that plane. He wanted to take a ride but believe me that was WAY too expensive!

Exhausted we crawled into bed, went to sleep and we dreamed of Fairbanks.

Moving to Alaska: Day 8

2011-07-23T17:00:00.002-08:00

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada
Miles traveled: 412
Total miles traveled: 1162

Leaving Edmonton signaled the beginning of the second half of our trip. The trip from Pullman to Edmonton had been a sightseeing trip. We took it slow, took in the sights, enjoyed the drive, and basically treated it like a driving vacation. We covered 710 miles in 7 days and it was, by comparison, a pleasure cruise.

The second half of our trip, Edmonton to Fairbanks, was where the rubber hit the road. The necessity of getting to Fairbanks in a timely manner coupled with the sparse places to stay the night meant we had to cover some serious miles every day. We had just 4 days to cover 1,826 miles. Vacation was over, it was time to get to work. We filled up on a good breakfast and hit the road.

Somewhere just outside of Edmonton we stopped at a little roadside market. They had fresh produce as well as souvenirs and ice cream. There was also a tipi that was open to explore. Of course the kids thought it was pretty neat to go inside and look around. Jonathan had a hard time understanding just how someone could live in something like this, especially in a place with cold and snow.

A semi-decent family picture.

We stopped for dinner in Grand Prairie. It was beautiful there but definitely a prairie, it was as flat as flat could be for miles around. The wind in Grand Prairie was intense. It was almost a challenge to walk straight. It looked like there was some pretty interesting things to do and see in and around Grand Prairie but we were on a schedule so stopping to explore was not going to happen. Maybe next time (HA HA HA!)

Sign showing the directions out of Grand Prairie. I think heading west sound like a good idea! :)

Our drive to Fort St. John also took us past Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada. Beaverlodge has the distinction of being home to a giant beaver statue. The novelty of the whole thing necessitated a stop for a family picture.

Our family with the giant beaver. Wouldn't that have been a great Christmas card!

The most momentous part of the days journey was reaching Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada. Dawson Creek, not to be confused with Dawson City, marks the official beginning of the AlCan. From here it was a mere 1523 miles to Fairbanks.

Our family with the famous Mile 0 sign post in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada.

The road to this point was so much better than I had expected. We had four lane, divided highway for quite a while out of Edmonton and when the road did go down to two lanes it was still a very well maintained road. And so far we had not yet found any of the infamous Alaska Highway frost heaves. That would change!

Moving To Alaska: Day 7

2011-07-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

I'm not one for thrill rides. I'd even go so far as to say I hate roller coasters. They scare the heck out of me. I don't even really like watching them. I get this knot in my stomach just thinking about them. That said I LOVE water parks. They are super fun. Twisting, turning and splashing is my idea of a really fun thrill ride. Needless to say from the moment we decided we were going to Edmonton the water park at the mall was on the agenda.

We had a blast! Mom doesn't really do water but she went with us and took some pictures, read and relaxed. The kids splash area had a really great slide that kids could do alone or with a parent. Both boys had so much fun. There were knobs to twist and valves to open and close that all changed the direction the water was going.

Jason and Dan after doing one of the big slides together.

Jonathan was having a blast!

Playing with one of the foot water controls. Very fun for small kids.

Jason just splashing around.

Dan at the bottom of one of the body slides. I believe he told me this one was bumpy and the red one was scary. It takes a lot to scare my husband. I'm glad I didn't go on the red one!

Mom took this one of me coming out of one of the slides.

It was a great day and the perfect way to wrap up our time in Edmonton before hitting the road to Alaska.

Moving To Alaska: Day 6

2011-07-21T17:35:00.000-08:00

Location Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

The West Edmonton Mall has a huge amusement park. They have several roller coasters, some thrill rides, kids rides, and a train that goes through the whole park. Since we were spending several days at the mall we decided to spend part of one day at the amusement park having fun with the boys. Jason wasn't able to do a lot of the rides because he was too small but he had fun one the ones he did get to go on. The ride operator of the hot air balloon ride even let all 4 of us on for the price of 1. It was pretty cool. I'm sure if they had been super busy that wouldn't have happened.

Jason and Dan on the hot air balloon ride. Getting Jason to look at the camera is challenging!

Jonathan and me on the hot air balloons.

Jonathan on the airplane ride.

Jason ridding the purple zebra... or something!

All of us on the train ride.

The mall also has a huge pirate ship and a sea lion show. Of course to get into the arena to watch the sea lion show costs an arm and a leg but you can watch for free from the mall concourse above the arena. The boys were thrilled to get to watch the show, even they didn't have front row seats.

The pirate ship.

The sea lions doing one of their tricks.

We also ran into Cosmo, the mall mascot. Jason wanted NO part of him!

After dinner we drove into downtown Edmonton and did some adventuring and looking around. The downtown area of Edmonton was really nice and I wish that we had more time to take some tours of downtown. Perhaps we will have to revisit Edmonton!

Downtown skyline at night.

Moving to Alaska - Day 5

2011-07-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Since we were in Canada we couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend sometime in Edmonton and visit the West Edmonton Mall. As it turns out choosing to spend an extended time in Edmonton was a really good decision.

One evening after eating dinner we went out to Dan's car and it wouldn't start. It had been working just fine up to that point but all of a sudden it woudn't start. As Jonathan put it "the car just got dead." Mom was traveling with us and is a member of AAA so she called the AAA number to see what we needed to do to get help in Canada. After a few troubles with her member number things got straightened out and we were able to get a CAA representative to help us. We told them the problem and said they would get one of their diagnostic trucks out to us ASAP.

And so we waited. Of course its late in the evening so the mall that was near the restaurant has closed so the five of us are sitting there with nothing to do. The kids were getting twitchy so I took them to a nearby McDonalds to play for a little bit. In the meantime mom called our trusted mechanic here in Fairbanks and told him the problem, let him listen to what the car was doing and got a diagnosis of a bad alternator from him.

When the CAA guy showed up he was just as nice as could be. He ran all his tests and confirmed that the alternator was indeed bad. Then he called a tow truck to come and get Dan's car. But we were still left with the problem of how to get back to the hotel and get my car. Plus my car was packed full which meant unpacking the car and loading all the stuff into Dan's car so my car could be used as a family car while his was in the shop. Fortunately the diagnostic guy offered to drive Dan back to our hotel to retrieve my car. I can't tell y'all enough how absolutely wonderful the CAA guy was to work with. He was so polite and helpful and genuinely concerned that we got where we needed to go.

After Dan got back with my car we transferred every thing from my car to his and waited for the tow truck. As luck would have it they were taking the car to a place that was less than a mile from our hotel. When the tow truck showed up he was just as wonderful to work with as the guy from CAA. He commented that it was a good thing it happened in Edmonton instead of in the middle of nowhere, something that we had been reminding each other of all evening. This may be a bummer but it could have been way worse!

Watching the car getting hooked up to the tow truck.

What Jason was doing while the rest of us moved stuff from one car to the other. Lucky bum!

Our "dead" car getting ready to go.

When all was said and done we were without the car for just a little less than a day. Not bad when you consider how much worse it could have been. And that would be our only major excitement for the whole trip. Pretty good if ya ask me!

Moving To Alaska: Day 4

2011-07-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Miles traveled: 187
Total miles traveled: 750

We stopped in Calgary for two reasons. First it was a convenient on our way to Edmonton and second I wanted to see the Saddle Dome. My very first memories of the Olympics are of the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. As a young figure skater I vividly remember watching Debi Thomas and Katrina Witt skating for Gold. I also remember the aerial shots of Calgary and thinking how cool the Saddle Dome looked. So since I was close I just had to see the Saddle Dome.

We started off our day with a trip to Tim Hortons for breakfast. While we were there Jonathan looked up and said "Look mom there are two police officers in this doughnut shop!" He he had no idea how ironic his statement was he was just in awe of the police officers!

After breakfast we headed off to the Canada Olympic Park. This was the sight for many of the events during the 1988 Olympics including luge, bobsled, and ski jumping. We got to sit in a bobsled, take a look at the luge and bobsled track, and see the ski jumping towers. Those things are tall! I can't imagine standing at the top and actually going down on skis! The boys also got the opportunity to stand on and official medal podium and to their best victory face. It was a pretty neat experience.

Hanging out in a bobsled and once again finding it impossible to get a decent family picture! :)

One of the curves in the luge/bobsled track.

The tallest of the ski jump towers.

The view of Calgary from the base of the ski jump towers.

Jason wins the gold!

Jonathan takes the gold!

Then we headed off to the Saddle Dome. The Calgary Stampede had just ended so traffic heading into downtown Calgary was a little crazy. We wound our way around, got lost a few times but finally found the Saddle Dome and I got my picture. Oh the things we will do for a picture!

The Saddle Dome! Bet ya can't guess why its named the Saddle Dome ;)

The drive between Calgary and Edmonton reminded me of driving in Idaho and Washington. Lots of farm land with wheat and canola. The views were beautiful. We drove through Red Deer and Medicine Hat before arriving in Edmonton. Edmonton was where we were going to take a little vacation before making our final long haul push to Fairbanks. Turns out that was a great decision! (to be continued)

Somewhere between Calgary and Edmonton.

Moving To Alaska: Day 3

2011-07-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada to Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Miles traveled: 253
Total miles traveled: 563

Cranbrook was a beautiful little town. The views of the Canadian Rockies from the town were incredible. Unfortunately because we were on a timeline we didn't really spend much time in the town. There was a rail museum that would have been really interesting to visit but we just didn't have time to take a real sightseeing trip. We didn't even make it off of the main strip of town.

While in Cranbrook we discovered two things: Tim Hortons and The Real Canadian Superstore. I'd heard of Tim Hortons and knew immediately we would be stopping there for breakfast the next morning. They did not disappoint. Oh my goodness the doughnuts were delicious! I think we ate most every breakfast in Canada at Tim Hortons.

The Real Canadian Superstore was a find out of necessity. We had forgotten our night light back in our hotel in Spokane. Going back for it wasn't an option so we went out in search of a store that may have one. Imagine Walmart mixed with Fred Meyer and you have something similar to The Real Canadian Superstore. They had everything, including things I'd never heard of like Bologna with Macaroni and Cheese in it. Sounds terrible to me but Jonathan LOVED it. He's super bummed that we can't find it anywhere in the states.

Leaving Cranbrook we had several options as to which direction we wanted to go. There was the direct route or the route that would take us through Banff. Since we were trying to see some of the sights we took the longer route that took us through Banff. We were not disappointed, the sights were AMAZING!

Not too far outside Cranbrook is the Kootenay River. The river is a beautiful blue-green color because of copper deposits in the water. I've never seen water so beautiful in my life.

We stopped along the Kootenay River and skipped stones and threw rocks in the water for quite a while. It was a nice opportunity for Jonathan and Jason to be boys and play, especially since we still had a lot of driving a head of us.

The next cool thing we found was Columbia Lake. Living in the Pacific North West we were very familiar with the Columbia River. Dan grew up in Portland with the Columbia at his doorstep. Half of the drive from Pullman to Portland is through the Columbia River Gorge and right along the Columbia River. On our honeymoon we visited Astoria, Oregon and saw where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean. We had no idea that this trip would take us by the headwaters of the Columbia River. It was really neat to stop and see the headwaters of such a major waterway.

The road to Calgary also took us through Kootenay National Park. Since we were driving though on our way to Calgary we didn't have to pay the park use fee and were able to enjoy most of the sights free of charge. The views were amazing: stunning vistas, beautiful bodies of water and impressive mountians. It was seriously more than one can take in on a drive through. I can certainly see why people pay to stay in the park. One thing that mom remembered from her drive to Alaska was Lake Louise and she wanted to show that to us. Unfortunately because we hadn't paid we couldn't go up to the lake, plus it would have added over an hour to an already long drive. So, sadly, we had to miss that but we saw lots of other great views along the way.

The road into the park was cut through the mountain side so we were actually driving between a mountain. It was really neat. The boys, especially Jonathan, thought it was super cool.

There were also many beautiful wildflowers throughout the park.

And you can't forget the mountains. The peaks were so close it felt like I could touch them from the car. So impressive. I don't know what the bird in the photo is. I'm sure I knew then but its been a year.

Somewhere in Kootenay Park we crossed into Alberta. Clearly I had no idea that was coming or I might have been more prepared for the picture. Oh well!

Just outside Banff, where we stopped to play tourist and eat, we saw these wild mountain goats. Both boys were really excited to see wild animals crossing the road.

Banff was beautiful. There we shops and restaurants everywhere. And of course since its a major tourist destination there were also people everywhere. I didn't get any pictures because I was so busy trying to keep track of the kids. I do remember downstairs in the mall there was a display showing how skis have changed over the years. I found that very interesting.

I did get one picture of the Banff area on our way out of town. What a beautiful place! The rest of our drive to Calgary was equivalently beautiful. I spent most of the trip in absolute awe of the beauty of the Canadian Rockies.What a beautiful country!

Updating

2011-07-18T00:55:00.000-08:00

My blog has been suffering from neglect for quite sometime. I am noticing now that some of the links don't work and my profile description is way out of date. I'll work on getting that updated and all working soon. In the mean time Part 3 of our trip will post in the morning.

Repost - Moving to Alaska: Day 2

2011-07-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

One year ago today

Spokane, Washington to Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada
Miles traveled: 188
Total miles traveled: 310

The hotel that we finally found only had king rooms available. So Jason slept on one side of the bed on the floor and Jonathan slept under the desk. It was the perfect little cave for him to sleep in. He felt so special.
Sometime around 7am Jonathan woke up to go to the bathroom. We had forgotten to do the chain lock on our door and he was tired and dazed and ended up going out the room door into the hall. I woke up shortly there after and noticed he wasn't in his cave. Then I heard someone pounding on a door. It took me a second but I finally put the two pieces together and realized that he was out in the hall. He knew my mom was next door so he knocked on her door. Scary moment to think about what all could have happened.Before heading off to Canada we stopped in Coeur D' Alene to have lunch with my BFF Meghan. We had a wonderful lunch at Red Robin. Then we said our good byes and headed to Canada.

Prior to this trip I had never been out of the United States. When I was a kid we always flew out when we traveled in the summer and my car was shipped to us and the other car had never been to Alaska. I was pretty excited to take my first trip out of the United States even if it was just to Canada.

Of course as we approached the border the battery in my camera went completely dead. Fortunately my mom is a picture crazy as I am and took the picture of the international border that I would have taken anyway.
Remember this post about taking a family picture at Christmas?
Once again we took probably 10 outtakes and still didn't really get a decent picture of our family in front of the Welcome to British Columbia sign. That was pretty much the case anytime on this trip that we tried to take a family picture. Perhaps later I'll post all the outtakes. Some of them are pretty funny! But anyway here we are, for better or for worse cause we certainly aren't going back for a better picture now, in front of the Welcome to British Columbia sign.

And believe me there is a reason they refer to the province as Beautiful British Columbia. The whole place was just beautiful. The green lakes, the trees, the Canadian Rockies, all of it was just amazing.

Repost - Moving to Alaska: Day 1

2011-07-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

So I didn't keep it going while we were actually traveling and I fell short of actually blogging over the last year so here it is ONE YEAR later, Brough Family Life Moves to Alaska!

I will keep this up this time. (I'm telling myself that as much as y'all)

Pullman, WA to Spokane, WA via Moscow, ID and Coeur D'Alene, ID
Miles traveled: 122

Day 1 was a day of endings and beginnings. It was the end of our time on the Palouse. It was the end of 10 years of our lives that included meeting, falling in love, marrying, graduating college, having kids, getting jobs, buying a house and going back to school. Leaving was hard, I cried... A LOT! But thanks to a couple of really fabulous teenage boys, who mean the world to us, and their families our last day in Pullman was more than we could have imagined.

A lot happened that day and truth be told I don't really remember it all now, it was a blur. Here's what I do remember

Took boys to daycare. Ran into a friend who volunteered her son to come help. Said son is a fab kid and the help was welcomed. Friend also had need for mattress and box spring that we needed to get rid of.
Ran around like CRAZY people! Dan was cleaning the house and finishing projects. Mom and I were dropping stuff off at the thrift store and organizing our stuff to load the cars later that day.
Sometime in there our tenant showed up and took a tour. I saw him briefly.
I had a job interview.
Other fab teenage boy shows up and we load up the cars and empty our house.

At this point we were ready to go but we still had the mattresses, box spring and two teenage boys that weren't ours. Though we would have loved to bring them our cars were full, that and I'm sure their parents would miss them. So we waited. And while we waited the boys played stick ball in the street. And had a BLAST!

Then the parents came and the boys left and we left but the day was PERFECT! And I love those boys like they are my own.

Then we took a trip to Moscow to take a picture in the big red rocker. It's something that just has to be done! And then after dinner at Wendy's we headed to Coeur D'Alene where we planned to spend the night. But our plans were thwarted by poor planning. We planned on just driving into Coeur D'Alene and finding a hotel room. What we found was that there were so many events happening that we couldn't find a hotel room in Coeur D'Alene, or Post Falls, or Liberty Lake, or Spokane Valley. We ended up staying all the way in the University District of Spokane. All in all about 40 miles out of our way but at least we had a pillow under our heads and day 1 behind us.

Dan's New Job

2010-08-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

So my plan was that I'd be far enough in my telling of our move to Alaska that the post about Dan's job would conveniently coincide with the first day of school. But today is the first day of school and that didn't happen. I wanted it to work "perfectly" but perfect doesn't exist so now is as good a time as any.

We decided we were moving to Alaska sometime after Christmas. People who know us really well probably weren't very surprised by this decision. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love this place and how badly I wanted to be back in Alaska. It wasn't a decision we came to lightly. We spent a lot of time agonizing over the decision, talking pros and cons, jobs and daycare, friends and family, timing and transitions. A lot of tears were shed, almost all by me, and a decision was made. We would move to Alaska with or without jobs.

I should note here that things in our life have never fallen "perfectly" into place. We have moved into three of our homes after dark on the last day of the lease at the previous place. All but one of our jobs have been offered the day before the last paycheck for the previous job. Seriously it's all LAST MINUTE! For some reason I thought this time it would be different. Silly, silly me!

In May Dan got a call for a phone interview at a middle school near Fairbanks. It was for a position teaching math. It seemed like the perfect opportunity and it was May, we weren't moving until July, so having a job now would eliminate some stress and anxiety. The interview went well but Dan didn't get the job. We were crushed.

In June we came to Fairbanks for my 10 year high school reunion. While we were here Dan got a call for a math job at a different middle school in Fairbanks. This job was much closer to where we would be living. We were excited, we started counting on the job perhaps before we should have. Again the interview went well but Dan didn't get the job.

We both applied for countless more jobs and received countless rejections. At moments we started to doubt whether we were doing the right thing. But the we had passed the point of no return. Dan had resigned his job and the position was already filled, there was no turning back. And honestly I don't think it was ever a serious consideration.

So we packed, we cleaned, and we moved. We checked for jobs every night but there was nothing. Then one night in Edmonton a job came available. A middle school math position at the school where Dan had his first phone interview. So Dan applied. The school year was coming soon so the posting said the hiring process would be expedited. Less than 24 hours later Dan got an email asking him if he was interested in interviewing. He looked at the available times and they were all before we could possibly make it to Fairbanks. So he contacted the principal with other times and we hoped that he was flexible.

At this point the earliest we could possibly arrive in Fairbanks was late evening July 26. Dan got a response from the principal asking how 9am on July 27 would work. Dan readily took the time. So less than 12 hours after we arrived in town I drove Dan to his interview. (we arrived in Fairbanks so late there was NO way I was going to try and show him where to go, it was easier to drive him) And he rocked the interview and got the job. So with less than two weeks until the school year started Dan was employed. Last minute, of course, and yet so perfect!

And I'm SUPER PROUD of my husband!

Not a real post

2010-08-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

So I was going to post about day 3 of our trip but I've got a lot on my mind right now and a post just isn't coming together. But I didn't want to not say anything because then bad habits of NEVER blogging start and I didn't want that to happen AGAIN!

Pots and Pans

2010-08-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

The same pots and pans that were enjoyed as drums are now being used as shoes. Please excuse the diaper only. I NEVER let my kids run around in just a diaper but he had just gotten out of the shower and this was too cute to pass up!

1st Day

2010-08-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Today is Dan's 1st day at his new job.

It's his 1st day at a new school.

It's his 1st day meeting new co-workers.

It's his 1st day to get a real good look at his new classroom.

It's his 1st day at a job that he has dreamed about for a while. A job where he teaches math and only math.

Next Wednesday will be his 1st day with a whole new group of students.

And we are all so very PROUD that today is his 1st day.

Avoidance

2010-08-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

I have this big, epic journey that we took this summer that I really need to start blogging about. I mean we moved from Washington to Alaska and we DROVE. That's quite the trip, trust me! But I just keep avoiding writing about it. It's not that I don't want to its that there is so much to write about I'm not really sure where the beginning of the story is. And so I avoid by posting cute pictures of stories of the boys. Tomorrow I will find a place to begin the story of our journey. For now enjoy a cute picture of our family.
Before we moved we took a trip to Seattle. Partly to pick up my mom at the airport, party to visit some friends, partly to see the Air and Space Museum and the Space Needle, and partly to see a Mariners game. (We lost Jonathan at the Mariners game but that's a story for another day, I PROMISE!) This picture was taken on the observation deck of the Space Needle. It was my third trip up and the view never gets boring. It's just so beautiful looking out over Puget Sound.

I have a bit of a love affair with the Space Needle. There was a time when every flight out of the state of Alaska passed through Seattle. So every time we traveled I flew by the Space Needle and looked upon it with awe. I always wanted to go to to the top but we NEVER left the airport. Now that I've been to the top three times I can say that it was well worth the wait. And it's still my favorite feature of the Seattle skyline.

Sleeping

2010-08-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Jason is a sleeper. That kid likes his sleep. And he will sleep ANYWHERE!
Including on the living room floor on top of the toys he was just playing with. Upon careful inspection of the picture I can identify several things he is sleeping on top of:

Green army men
half of the Millennium Falcon
a video game controller
a blue blanket
a magazine

But he looks so comfortable!

Seven 8/9/10

2010-08-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

7 years ago Dan and I got married. This year we celebrate our 7th anniversary on 8/9/10, get it 7,8,9,10. Yeah we're dorks we've been looking forward to this anniversary for a while. We had big plans to go to Hawaii but then we moved and those plans are on hold. So instead our BIG plans involve a trip to the fair (and a morning at the DMV). But we'll be together and that's what really matters, and I know we'll still have a great time because we always have a great time together. So happy 7 years Dan. I love you and I love having fun with you!Ummm honestly I have NO idea why we are looking at our wedding cake that way. Apparently it was confusing us in some way... I dunno!

Exciting Friday

2010-08-07T20:55:00.000-08:00

So I didn't get around to getting a post ready last night for today because I was exhausted. We spent all day yesterday at our storage unit because OUR STUFF GOT HERE!!!

I wish I had a picture of the storage unit that we filled yesterday but I didn't think of that until just now and I'm not driving down now to take one! Maybe later. I'm just super excited that OUR STUFF GOT HERE!!!

We have our clothes, we have our sheets, we have our kids clothes, we have our kids bunk beds, we have our kids toys. It was like Christmas in July only in early August. Dan has his teacher clothes before he starts his job so we don't have to go out and buy new clothes. I have my clothes too before I start my new job! (I'll fill y'all in on the jobs soon!) It's wonderful having our stuff here. Most of it will be in storage for the next year until we get our own place but at least
I wish I had a picture of the storage unit that we filled yesterday but I didn't think of that until just now and I'm not driving down now to take one! Maybe later. I'm just super excited that OUR STUFF GOT HERE!!!

Mattress Sliding

2010-08-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Let me preface what you are about to watch by saying that I know this wasn't really safe but all the toys were packed up so I let him have some fun. His big bro was at a friends house but if he had been home this never would have happened!

That said Jason was having a blast!

Hide Out

2010-08-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

One day as we were packing boxes, and Jonathan was at a friends house, we realized that Jason was being awfully quiet. Too quiet...
The suspicious kind of quiet that makes you wonder what disaster is being wrecked in the house. And so we went in search of Jason only we couldn't find him so we called his name and then followed the sound of him yelling "I right here"
And found him hiding out on the second shelf of one of our lower kitchen cabinets. He had found the perfect little kid hiding place and without his brother around to bug him he had the place all to himself.
He quite enjoyed hiding out while the rest of us packed boxes and cleaned the house. I just love his creativity!

Go Fly a Kite

2010-08-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

One of our last days in the Palouse was very windy. It was the kind of wind that could knock you right over. Jonathan came up with the great idea that we should go fly a kite, and so when all the packing was done that's exactly what we did.Daddy helped Jonathan fly the kite on his own for the very first time. Jonathan had never been deemed responsible enough to hold the reigns of the kite but this time we agree that he would get the opportunity. He had a blast and did a really great job.

I don't think there is anything that quite compares to the joy and laughter of kids trying to chase a kite. The boys had so much fun running around trying to catch up to the kite.
Jonathan kept trying to jump up high enough to catch the tail. It never worked but it was fun to watch him trying
All of us had a great time playing in the field and flying the kite. Jonathan got credit for having a great idea and brought everyone a lot of joy and happiness. What great memories were made that evening!

Drummin'

2010-08-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

When the movers are coming and all the toys are packed away and all that's left are the pots and pans that didn't make the cut to move to Alaska what is a little boy to do?

Drum!

And when there in nothing else to use as a drumstick the crevice tool to the vacuum will work just fine!
Creativity at its best!

Moving

2010-08-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

"When I moved to Moscow 10 years ago all I came with was a suitcase full of clothes and a duffel bag of bedding, so where on earth did all this stuff in my house come from?"

That thought crossed my mind on a daily basis as we packed up our home to move to Alaska. But 10 years, a husband, two kids, and a house later the stuff I had to bring back to Alaska had multiplied exponentially.

It's a strange thing packing up everything for this type of move. Dan and I have moved 5 times in our almost 7 years of marriage. All of our other moves have been within a 15 mile radius, the longest being our move from Moscow to Pullman. This move was not only more than 15 miles but also crosses international borders. It's different moving a long distance. The things that we usually just tossed in the back of the car had be boxed. Everything had to be boxed. I'm so sick of packing boxes!

Our original plan involved us renting a U-Haul truck, driving one car and towing the other. My dad nixed that idea and so we hired a moving company. We packed all our own boxes except for the fragile stuff, which they packed, and then they loaded everything into their truck, created it and shipped it. I have to say I'm pretty relieved that we ended up hiring someone else to move the stuff. The trip through Canada was interesting enough without adding a U-Haul to the mix.

So on July 13 the movers came and moved all of our stuff out of our house. I can't begin to describe the feeling seeing all our stuff taken away. The house was so empty!

And so the truck drove away with all our things and we were left with only the memories of three wonderful years in our home.

Hello???

2010-08-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

Where has the time gone? I knew I was neglecting my blog but I had no idea how long it had gone unloved. Is anyone still out there? Lots has happened in the months since my last post and I intend to post on most of the events over the next few weeks. I do believe the most significant event has to do with my new blog header. Go ahead and take a look, I'll wait. Yes what you are seeing is correct. We drove the Alaska Highway and moved to Fairbanks, like permanently. It has been a long few months with big changes that I'm truly excited to share with y'all. I'm back!

And I promise I'll post tomorrow!

Fashion Statement

2010-03-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Remember our little Super Model? Well Jason has returned to let us all know what the hot trend is for this spring.Jason is wearing a blue camouflage shirt. This shirt is "vintage" purchased for his big brother back in 2007. With his "vintage shirt" he is wearing pair of striped shorts. These shorts are long enough that they can substitute for pants in a pinch, especially when paired with the always fashionable Sorel Boots. So there you have it, Spring Fashion 2010.

Silly Boy

2010-03-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Jason, honey, that's not how you usually use a Magna Doodle. The pen that's in your mouth is for coloring. What's that, oh you know that. Well then by all means carry on being silly!

Freedom!

2010-03-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

Over Spring Break my mom came to visit us. We were lucky enough to have her here for almost 2 full weeks, her spring break and ours. While she was here we took the opportunity to rent a UHaul truck, and move the stuff we had in storage, from my grandparents house, from Boise to Pullman. It wasn't as hard as we had imagined. However having the truck, and a little boy who hit every bathroom in every little town from Boise to Pullman, the return trip took us about 8 hours. By the time we arrived home the boys were really twitchy. What you are about to witness is what happens when my boys have been stuck in the car for 8 hours and a suddenly released to freedom! Enjoy, I know i did!

Sick Day

2010-03-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago both the boys were home sick from school. Since they were sick and not very energetic we spend our day in our pajamas watching movies and reading books. During one of the movies Jonathan asked me to pause so he could go get something. He went into his room and came back out with is pillow and blanket. Jason saw what his big brother had done and thought it seemed like a great idea and went toddling into their room and also came out with his pillow and blanket. And there they lay, cuddled up, watching a move. I absolutely love their relationship and watching the interact. They are great kids!

Wordless Wednesday - Sleeping Brothers

2010-03-24T06:15:00.000-08:00

Um Hi

2010-03-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Is anyone still out there? My blog has been suffering from some serious neglect recently. I blame it entirely on the fact that my computer and the internet don't always get along. I can use Dan's computer but all the pictures of the kids are on my so rather than try to force my computer to get along with the internet I just give up... I really need to work on this. I miss blogging. So here I am and I'm really going to get back to this! I promise!

Three Wheelin'

2010-03-01T05:00:00.000-09:00

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. We chose to take advantage of the great weather and head out for a family walk. Jonathan has a great tricycle. The seat is adjustable for a growing kiddo. It also has adjustable steering so it can be controlled by either the kid or an adult. It has a handle that allows an adult to push and steer. Jonathan has gotten very skilled at peddling so he doesn't need much pushing. But tonight another member of our family took notice of the tricycle.

Jason was so excited to try out the tricycle. Jonathan graciously shared and gave his brother opportunity to ride. Jason loved riding. The time has come to pass the tricycle down and get Jonathan something new. I think Jonathan may be getting his birthday present early. You won't tell him he's getting a bike, will you?

Going North

2010-02-18T05:00:00.000-09:00

Dan and I are heading north today for a few days. (North as in Alaska) One of my very close friends is getting married and we decided to go. Dan's parents are coming to stay with the boys so we will also have a few days with just adults. I'm really excited to have some time with my husband and my mom without the kids but I KNOW I'm going to MISS them terribly. I'll take lots of pictures while we're in AK and post some when we get back.

Wordless Wednesday - Frost

2010-02-10T05:00:00.000-09:00

Ok, nearly wordless. This was taken in Alaska over Christmas. I absolutely love the way this picture tu

Super Model

2010-02-09T05:00:00.000-09:00

Jason is growing. All of his pants give the appearance that he may be preparing for a flood sometime soon. So this weekend when we finally put our Christmas decorations away, the next box of clothing was pulled from the shed. Now it sits in our living room waiting to be sorted through. Last night I looked through the container and found an adorable cream, corduroy blazer. Of course I just had to try it on Jason right then just to see how cute it looks.
Never mind he's wearing pajamas, models are trendsetters after all. I bet you'll be wearing jackets with your pajamas soon. No? Yeah me either. Jason however looks adorable and from the pose he's striking and the look on his face I'm fairly certain he knows exactly how cute he is!

Sleeping

2010-02-08T05:00:00.000-09:00

Sweetly Slumbering Second Son

Blissfully Bedded Big Bro

So precious.

So comfortable.

So peaceful.

Movie Night

2010-02-06T05:00:00.000-09:00

Several weeks ago we rented Alvin and the Chipmunks. I blame McDonalds. You see Jonathan had never even heard of the Chipmunks until he received Theodore in his Happy Meal. That was the beginning of Chipmunk fever in our house. We just had to rent the movie, at least that was Jonathan's opinion. One Friday night we all got in our pajamas, popped some popcorn, and watched Alvin and the Chipmunks. Jonathan LOVED it. He goes around the house talking the the Chipmunks, singing like the Chipmunks, and telling us all about what happened in the movie that we watched with him. He absolutely can not wait until the second movie comes out on DVD. We may be living with Chipmunk fever for a while.

I think my favorite part of the whole evening involved Jason and the chairs the boys are sitting on in the picture. After we had made the popcorn both boys settled down on the floor. Suddenly Jason got up and I knew he had a purpose. He went over to the boys table and grabbed on chair brought it into the living room and then went back for the other and placed it right next to the first chair. Then after sitting down in his chair he patted the other chair and said, "JD here." Melt my heart!

Friday Flashback

2010-02-05T05:00:00.000-09:00

This precious little boy was almost 2 when this picture was taken on June 24, 2007. We were at our church's annual Church in the Park event on what was, if I remember correctly, a not quite so warm summer day. Just look at Jonathan. The cute baby chub, the wild, curly baby hair, he's still more of a baby in this picture than a little boy. Now he's 4 and 1/2, that baby chub is long gone, now he's lean as can be (he takes after his dad), and he's definitely all little boy. Where on earth did the last 2 and 1/2 years go?

Airplane Trip

2010-02-04T05:00:00.000-09:00

When we pulled our our luggage for our trip too Alaska (6 weeks ago, I'm just a little late here) Jason saw Jonathan's backpack and asked "Mine?" Now of course we weren't going to give Jason Jonathan's backpack, that would have gone over like a lead balloon, so Jason and I headed out to find a backpack more his size. What we found was a super cute, appropriately sized Lightening McQueen backpack just big enough for diapers, wipes and a book. Ok, it actually would have held more but when we put more in it the weight pulled Jason over backward.
Jason was very happy to parade around the Spokane Airport with his backpack on his back. I love his puffed out chest and mischievous expression. I'm sure this was just before he bolted away from me! I envisioned him walking along with the rest of us through the Seattle Airport carrying his backpack and having a great time. Never mind that someone would have to carry his gigantic carseat since he had his own ticket, it was going to be a picture perfect trip. Of course we decided he was old enough that we didn't need a stroller. And he wouldn't have needed a stroller if all had gone to plan. I could end my story now. But things didn't go according to plan and I if I stop now y'all would miss out on a rather epic trip.

~We can laugh about this now but believe me, when this all went down NO ONE was laughing!~

The trip started out normally enough. We headed up to Spokane early enough to have a nice sit-down lunch with one of my best friends. The boys had HUGE helping of Macaroni and Cheese. After killing some time at the airport, because I'm my mother's daughter and arrived way to early, we got on our plane. We were traveling on a small jet that had a two seat on either side of the aisle configuration. So we were sitting two and two. Dan had made Jonathan mad going though security, and Jonathan is one to hold a grudge, so he asked to sit next to me. We sat down and Dan and Jason took their seats in the row behind us. I've never been so glad that Jonathan was mad at Dad! You see just as they began pushing the plane back, you know when its too late to get out of your seat for ANYTHING, I hear Jason throw-up. Remember that HUGE lunch he ate. Yeah it was all over him, his car seat, his backpack, Dan's backpack, and Dan's shoes. Of course I couldn't get up to help him, and I don't do puke anyway, and Dan couldn't take Jason out to clean him up because we were taxiing to take off. All we could do was clean up the best we could with wipes and try to ignore the smell. Jason preceded to throw-up three more times before we landed in Seattle. And of course this was the first time EVER since Jonathan was born that I haven't traveled with at least one set of extra clothes. Thank you Murphy and your laws!

Once we deplaned in Seattle Dan started cleaning Jason, the carseat, and himself as best he could while Jonathan and I searched the airport for some sort of change for Jason. There were plenty of shirts in the airport; Seattle shirts, Boeing shirts, Mariners shirts, generic Washington shirts, but absolutely NO pants to be found. We needed pants. The only pair of pants we found, in Jason's size, was part of a $40 pajama+socks set. I practically cried as I spent $40 on something we already had in our luggage. By the time we got all cleaned up we had just enough time to scarf some dinner and race to our gate. But remember now we have a sick kid who isn't strong enough to walk, a 4-year-old who doesn't want to run to our gate and isn't getting the concept that the plane actually WILL leave without us, a huge carseat, and NO stroller. So Dan carried Jason and ran ahead so they would know we were coming while I carried the carseat and dragged Jonathan along. We were quite the sight racing through the D concourse of the Seattle Airport. The whole time we were walking Jonathan was talking about how excited he was to watch Bolt on the airplane. Some sweet passerby, must have been a mom, told Jonathan "Ya know Bolt runs really fast. Can you run fast like Bolt?" I wish I could find her and thank her because that got him moving and we FINALLY made it to our gate.

Needless to say we were very tired and worn out by the time we got to Fairbanks, but we will NEVER forget this trip!

Wordless Wednesday - Piano Buddies

2010-02-03T05:00:00.000-09:00

Budding Artist

2010-02-02T05:00:00.000-09:00

Ever since we got a new camera Jason has been very interested in playing with the camera. He knows how to turn it on, take pictures, and view the pictures he has taken. I didn't teach him any of this, he's just figured it out through trial and error. He gets very excited when he sees the camera and wants to hold it and be the one behind the camera, which has made getting pictures of him even more difficult that it already was!

I thought I would feature some pictures that he has taken recently.
Here we have a lovely picture of the light fixture in our office as well as the Halloween candy pumpkins and my forehead.
In this picture we see the tubs, my forehead, and the light fixture again. However we have also added part of my computer screen, Jonathan's forehead and eye and just a bit of Dan's forehead. And don't forget Jason's finger on the left side of the picture.
And here we have two of Jason's little fingers, Dan's head (or at least most of it), and our bookshelf. You can also tell that my husband did a great job cutting in the ceiling of our office when he painted it yellow.

When I was a kid I loved to take pictures of feet. I wonder what Jason will take pictures of as he gets older!

It's a Monday

2010-02-01T07:30:00.000-09:00

How is it February 1st already? Wasn't it just Christmas? Time sure does fly by!

We've been doing a whole lot of nothing around here. Going to school, eating and sleeping pretty much sums up our lives recently. The boys are doing well. Jason is talking more and more and has picked up singing as well. He can even sing the Idaho Fight Song. I'm still working on getting that on camera to share with y'all. Jonathan is his normal energetic self, although he's got a bit of a cold right now. I woke him up this morning and he asked to go back to sleep so him and I are home today. I think it will do him some good to have an easy day at home and hopefully he'll fell better tomorrow.

At the request of one of my friends I will leave you with the picture of our family, the Humanitarian Bowl trophy, Joe Vandal, and a less than thrilled Jason.

Wordless Wednesday - Jason-in-a-Box

2010-01-27T05:00:00.000-09:00

Humanitarian Bowl

2010-01-25T05:00:00.000-09:00

It has been a long time since University of Idaho football fans have had much to cheer about. Since 1998, the last time we appeared in and won the Humanitarian Bowl, there have been a lot of forgettable years. There were the Tom Cable years, the Nick Holt years, and the Dennis Erickson year, which left Vandal fans very very bitter.

Then Coach Robb Akey came along. The first couple of years were rough but there were glimmers of hope. And we had a coach who was excited about Idaho Vandal Football and committed to the team. And then the 2009 season began and we were winning games. Excitement for Vandal football was contagious. We got games on ESPNU and even highlights on Sports Center. And we were one of the first teams to be bowl eligible. It was exciting to be a Vandal fan again. Even during the darkest days I still cheered loud and clear for my Vandals!

Since Boise State was going to a BCS bowl game Idaho was invited to the Humanitarian Bowl. Let me tell you, if we had not been in Alaska we would have been in Boise for that game! Instead we watched with baited breath. Our hearts stopped when they went down 42-35 with 35 seconds left. And then we got a touchdown. Then we went for two. AND THE VANDALS WON! It was AMAZING!

This weekend there was a parade to honor the Vandals for their win. After the parade there was a celebration at the Kibbie Dome where fans could get the teams autographs as well as have their picture taken with the trophy. We were stoked! And so we bundled up on a very cold Saturday morning and headed out to the parade that Vandal fans have waited years for!

There was snow on the ground and believe me standing around waiting for the parade to start it was cold! Underneath all our gear we are wearing our Humanitarian Bowl Champions shirts. And I am darn proud to get to wear that shirt!

I-D-A-H-O IDAHO IDAHO GO GO GO!

Part of the team, including Coach Akey, with the trophy. It was totally awesome to see the trophy rolling down Main St. in Moscow!Up at the dome with Joe Vandal! Jason was terrified of him. We tried to get a picture with our family, Joe and the trophy but Jason would have no part of it!

We bought a poster and stood in line to get our autographs. And the very last autograph we got was Coach Akey. We shook his hand, my hand was shaking at the thought of shaking his, and we got a picture of Jonathan with Coach Akey. Jason gave him a high five but would get no closer.

That's my son sitting on Coach Akey's knee! WOW!
Me and my best girl Meghan with the trophy. She came down from Coeur d'Alene for the weekend to go to the parade and hang out with me. I LOVE HER.

And there is our family with the Humanitarian Bowl trophy. Totally awesome!

Kristen, the whole time we were there I was thinking about how excited Mike would be to get his picture with the Rose Bowl Trophy for Ohio State!

Wordless Wednesday - Tired Boy

2010-01-20T05:00:00.000-09:00

Gangsta'

2010-01-15T06:00:00.000-09:00

Ya know because they stick their tongues out for pictures...

Christmas Day

2010-01-15T05:00:00.000-09:00

We have never been the family that spends Christmas Day in our pajamas. My mom is not the person who enjoys spending hours in her pajamas. She's more the get up and get dressed type. As a result we have always gotten dressed on Christmas Day before getting into presents. And so our Christmas Day starts with showers, blow dryers, hair gel, make-up, and dress shoes. Then once we are all ready we head up to the living room to begin the days festivities.

Brough Family Christmas Day 2009

At the top of the stairs before the boys saw their stockings and Santa presents.
Then we open our stockings and see what Santa has brought. This year he brought the boys their own Camelbak waterbottles, some cute finger puppets, moose and bear napkins, and a variety of other small fun items. Santa even brought Jonathan his desired army men. He was thrilled!Then we move on to the presents that Santa has left unwrapped under the tree. Jason got his very own learning laptop from Santa, while Jonathan's big gift was TinkerToys. Dan and Jonathan built some pretty cool stuff with the TinkerToys but that's another post for another day.

Then we moved on to opening gifts that were under the tree. Jason wasn't quite sure what to do with all the present opening. He tore at the paper but was more interested in playing with what was already open and sitting in laps.

He did pull some ribbon to help me out.
Jason's favorite toy under the tree were the big pop beads. He had lots of fun playing with them while the rest of us opened presents.

Jonathan got a pretty cool tool kit for Christmas. He has spent his days since Christmas tinkering around the house. He'll be helping Dan make repairs before we know it!
Then we got a little silly. Jonathan decided to wear his new pants as a super cool new hat. He wore the pants to church this past Sunday but as pants not as a hat!
And then we got a little sleepy. Opening presents and spending the morning really excited is tiring.

Wordless Wednesday - 1st Haircut

2010-01-13T05:00:00.000-09:00

Christmas Tree Photo

2010-01-12T05:00:00.000-09:00

Every year that I have been in Fairbanks for Christmas or any part of Christmas (and I've only missed 2 in the last 28 years) we have always taken a picture in front of the Christmas tree. When I was growing up it was usually just me, or me and the dog, with the rare picture of the whole family. Then it was Dan and me and now its our family. So keeping with tradition we attempted to take a Christmas tree picture of our family. Jason could you please sit down for just a second so we can get a family picture? Please?
No? Ok. Dan what are you doing? For that matter what am I doing? At least Jonathan is cute!
Well three of us look decent but Jason is clearly not into this picture idea!
Oh dear! We've lost Jason! And Jonathan, honey, what is up with your hand placement?
Well that's as good as its getting this year folks!

Cookies for Santa

2010-01-11T06:15:00.000-09:00

Last year Jason was just too little to help put out the cookies for Santa. Not being able to stand makes such activities difficult. But this year he got to help and was very excited to get in on the fun.My mom has a small collection of the Spode Christmas Tree dishes as well as the matching platter and that is what we have put cookies for Santa out on since I was a kid. (Please ignore the sink of dishes, we'd been busy baking and NOT cleaning)
Then the milk is carefully into a mug for Santa. The matching napkin is put out so Santa can wipe the crumbs from his beard.
Then the whole tray is carried carefully, by committee, to the living room where it is placed on the library table in anticipation of Santa's visit.
Of course there must be a picture with the cookies in the matching pajamas. And now we are ready to read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and then settle to sleep while Santa does his job.

Smile

2010-01-07T05:00:00.000-09:00

If you ask Jason to smile for the camera frequently this is the response you will get...It's pretty darn cute but it makes getting a decent picture of him a bit difficult. Oh the joys of being almost two.

Making Cookies

2010-01-06T05:00:00.000-09:00

For as long as I can remember every Christmas my mom and I have baked. We always make Buckeye Candy, or as we call them peanut-butter balls, Bourbon Balls, peanut-butter roll, and sugar cookies. Even though Jonathan is allergic to peanut-butter we still make Buckeye's we just don't share. This year we filled some of the roll for peanut-butter rolls with sunbutter for Jonathan. He loved it!

Of course we also made sugar cookies. My mom always let me help in the kitchen, no matter how messy it got, and so we have made sure to always include Jonathan in our baking exploits. This year Jason was old enough to be interested in baking too. Jason was mostly interested in watching how things are done in the kitchen but it won't be long before Jonathan will have to start sharing the baking responsibilities with his brother. It's fun to watch my kids making things that I remember making when I was grown up.

Jason is attempting to help Jonathan sift flour. What ended up happening was flour went over the side of the sifter and all over the counter and Jason exclaimed, "OH NO!" in his very Jason way. It was cute!
Carefully scooping the flour into the mixer. There were several occasions where too much flour went in and when the mixer was turned on POOF. Oh well.

And on to decorating the cookies. Jonathan had some trouble controlling the amount of red sugar sprinkles he put on.

Jason, however, had no trouble controlling the green ones. We thought Jason just had really good skills. Then we gave Jason the red sugar sprinkles...

As it turns out it had more to do with the larger crystal size of the green sugar sprinkles than it did with decorating skill. Who knew red sugar sprinkles were so much smaller?
The boys and their masterpieces. I just love the cheesy smiles.

The aprons they are wearing were made for me by my grandmother when I was a little girl.

Back

2010-01-05T05:00:00.000-09:00

We are back in Pullman. We got back very early Sunday morning. We spent Sunday resting and relaxing and not unpacking. We are still not unpacked. I need to upload my camera to my computer and then I will start sharing about our trip to Alaska. I didn't want to go back to school today! Why is vacation always so short?

And we're off

2009-12-19T05:00:00.000-09:00

To Fairbanks for Christmas. I'll "see" ya there!

YAHOO

2009-12-18T06:23:00.000-09:00

Its the LAST day of school before CHRISTMAS BREAK!
(Not that I'm excited or anything!)

Wordless Wednesday - He was TIRED!

2009-12-16T05:00:00.000-09:00

Reading Buddies

2009-12-15T09:30:00.000-09:00

Recently Jonathan has taken a great interest in reading with and to his brother. He will often get books out for them to read together and then direct Jason to his bed, the couch, or a chair so they can read together. Jonathan will tell Jason all about the book using the pictures to retell the story. It's such a cool thing to see them both enjoying books!

Yahoo!

2009-12-14T06:00:00.000-09:00

IT'S THE LAST WEEK
OF SCHOOL BEFORE

CHRISTMAS BREAK!

I'm so ready for a break. This semester has been great. I've had a great group of kids and I've learned a lot about teaching and about myself.

BUT...

I'm ready for VACATION!

And I know my mom is ready too! 5 DAYS!

Happy Birthday AG

2009-12-12T10:00:00.000-09:00

LOVE YOU!
SEE YOU SOON!

Wordless Wednesday - Helping Hands

2009-12-09T05:00:00.000-09:00

Cold

2009-12-08T07:25:00.001-09:00

It's cold here. And it's windy here which makes the cold worse! I have lots of things to write about but I we also have a leak under our house so that's been consuming my time and mind. I promise more tomorrow!

Last week we were out shopping at Lloyd Center in Portland. Jonathan got tired of shopping so he found a place to watch the ice skaters from. He loved watching them skate and spin.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bowling

2009-12-07T05:00:00.000-09:00

Last Christmas Dan received a gift certificate to our local bowling lanes as a gift from a student. The certificate expired one year from the date of issue. I figured we'd have no problem going bowling sometime during the year. Well apparently I was wrong because the expiration date was coming up and we hadn't gone yet. So Dan asked one of his students to babysit and we went out bowling.

Dan and I don't get out very often just the two of us. If we do go out we usually go to dinner and then come home. It was so much fun to actually go out and do something together.

Getting ready to bowl. I hadn't bowled in so long that my arm was getting tired after the 1st game. But I was having too much fun to quit!
My handsome husband. I forget how much fun it is to just hang out together when we rarely get to do so!
Awesome fried zucchini! That is probably my favorite appetizer ever. If its on the menu you can bet I'm getting it!
Pouting after a very bad shot. I did ok. Beat Dan one game but I really just bowl for fun.
Dan was pretty frustrated with how badly he was doing. He's usually a pretty good bowler but I think it had just been too long since he'd bowled. He still had fun though.After 2 hours of bowling we were tired and ready to head home. It was a fun night and a good reminder of why its fun to get out with my husband. I definitely want to do it again sooner rather than later!

It's Friday!

2009-12-04T07:15:00.000-09:00

Is it just me or has this week just seemed to drag on? I guess maybe that's the way the week after a long weekend goes. One thing is for sure, I'm ready for Christmas vacation.

This week has been good. I planned and taught the whole week. It went really well. There was more that I wanted to do than I had time for but oh well. We have a student who is moving away today so that's a little sad.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wordless Wednesday - Readers

2009-12-03T05:00:00.000-09:00

Future Blogger

2009-12-02T05:00:00.000-09:00

Jason has this rather annoying interest in my computer. He likes to run away with my mouse, bang on the keys, and push the power button. He has accidentally updated my Facebook status and created new bookmarks. He apparently has also taken an interest in blogging. Perhaps I'll let him write my next guest post!

Swimming

2009-12-01T05:00:00.000-09:00

1st of all let me apologize for the lack of posts over the Thanksgiving weekend. We went to my in-laws for the weekend. I knew my access would be limited so I uploaded several posts worth of pictures figuring I would at least have time to get on and write the text for the posts. Turns out I was wrong, I had no access all weekend.

This summer Jonathan made several outings to the pool or water park. He really enjoyed being in the water and splashing around but was scared to do much more than splash around. We decided that it was time for him to take some swimming lessons. So every Saturday this fall Jonathan has gone swimming. He has loved taking swimming lessons and we will be continuing them in the spring.

He has learned to put his ears in the water and dunk his head, which has made bath time MUCH easier. He also learned to float on his back with some help from his teacher and hold on to a floating bar and kick. I think his favorite thing he learned to do was blow bubbles in the water.
Here he is floating on his back. His teacher said by the end of the session of lessons she wasn't even holding onto him. He thought he was but she wasn't. I'm really excited that he is gaining confidence in the water.

Jumping in!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T07:55:00.000-09:00

Happy Thanksgivivg to everyone. I hope you all have a fantastic time with friends and family!

Wordless Wednesday - Crazy Faces

2009-11-25T05:00:00.000-09:00

A Giving Heart

2009-11-24T05:00:00.000-09:00

Today's post was written by a guest blogger, my husband Dan. I was busy baking last night so I asked him to put this post together. I think he did a fantastic job and I know y'all will enjoy it!

One of the hardest things as a parent is to get your kid's attention off of what they want, what they have, what they need and focus on OTHERS. Obviously, having a little brother requires a little sacrifice every now and again, but we try to really push the point across when we can. Christmas provides an awesome opportunity to find others with greater needs than we have.

For the last couple of years, we have selected from a child from the Sharing Tree at the mall, pick out a gift for that child. This year, we decided to go a different route and fill a box for Operation Christmas Child. Through this program, needy children around the world get to receive a gift for Christmas, and hear the story of Christ and how He gave the ultimate gift for them. With Jonathan being 4, we thought it would be great if the gift was from him to another 2-4 year old boy.

We made a special trip to Wal-Mart just so we could pick out these items. We had a basic list of needs and general gifts to give to the little boy, but it was somewhat open in what we actually could get. We got a box of crayons, some coloring and sticker books, some simple toiletries, and a couple other small toys. The hardest thing for Jonathan was simply remembering that what we were getting was not for him.

The one thing we couldn't find at our Wal-Mart was a small stuffed animal. Since Jonathan has a closet full he never plays withe we decided to choose an animal that he had no particular attachment to and give it away. When we got home, we went into Jonathan's closet to pick out a small stuffed animal to give in the box as well. This did not go over well with Jonathan, as we picked out HIS kitten. Even though he had no special attachment to this particular stuffed animal, he was very unwilling to let go, because it was HIS. We finally convinced him that the little boy we were sending it to would love it even more.

We didn't actually put the box together until Saturday.

He started by filling out a form that had information about him and what he likes.
Then he packed the box with all the things we had purchased. When he got to the kitty, he prayed over it, praying that the kitty would bring the boy who receives it a lot of happiness and comfort.
Then he finished putting that last few things in there. We packed that box pretty full!
That right there is one proud little boy. (He, however, did not do the wrapping... That was done by my wife.)
And here is our little giver with the sticker he got for giving a box. Hopefully, the child who receives that box will be blessed. For Jonathan, we are hoping that he will continually remember how special it is, and what a blessing it is, to be the one able to give.

Christmas Decorating

2009-11-23T05:00:00.000-09:00

Christmas is a season that is rich with family traditions. My family had a lot of traditions that we carried on as I grew up. I'd go into greater detail but I already know this is going to be a long post and I don't want to make it longer.

One of the traditions that I clearly remember, partly because if I'm home to decorate the tree we still abide by it, was that I always got to put the first decoration on the tree. For the last two years this has been Jonathan's job, and since Jason isn't old enough to care yet, it was his job again this year. Of course there was always a picture to go along with the placing of the first decoration. Perhaps when I'm home I'll dig up some pictures of me over the years.
Here is Jonathan placing the first decoration on the 2009 Brough Family Christmas Tree. This year's choice for first decoration was a Lightning McQueen.

We gave Jason a bear decoration to hang on the tree. I wanted to let him try on his own before we helped him out.
He didn't really understand quite what to do with the decoration. I don't think he quite has the motor skills to hold the decoration by the string and get it onto the tree. But fear not, his overly helpful older brother was more than willing to help.
And between the two of them they got the job done!

As I was hanging decorations on the tree last night I thought it might be fun to showcase some of the decorations that have special meaning to our family. I quickly realized that I could probably take a picture and share a story for almost every decoration on the tree. Since I didn't want to write that much, and I'm certain you don't want to read that much, I chose some of the most meaningful, or ones with unique stories, to share.

If you know anything about me you should know the significance of a University of Idaho decoration. Dan and I both got our degrees from the University of Idaho. It's also where we met. We are Vandal faithful and I was so excited to find this decoration in the bookstore last year.

This little giraffe came from Lenox and commemorates Jonathan's 1st Christmas in 2005. We also have one for Jason but I do believe that one is in Fairbanks. Sooner or later Jason's decoration will join Jonathan's on our tree.

This bear is named Chaucer. I found him last Christmas at a bookstore. He also has a story book that goes with him. It is a really cute story about the little bear's first winter. Perfect for our little bear who was celebrating his first winter.

This moose is part of a series from Lenox. Growing up in Alaska I saw a lot of moose. The first decoration I got came with a card that said something about making sure to lock my doors. Yes, there is a story behind that. One very early, dark Alaska morning my mom was driving me to jazz band before school. We backed out of our garage and started off when we noticed a moose in the driveway. I was a little tired and not thinking clearly so when I saw the moose I locked the doors. Not sure what good I thought it was going to do but its been a family joke ever since.

My granddaddy loved Snoppy and he passed his love of Snoppy on to me. This is just one of several decorations of Snoppy and the gang that grace our Christmas tree. They are a reminder of my granddaddy. Someplace I have a cow beanie baby that reminds me of my grandmother but that's another story for another time!

My husband LOVES Star Wars. Enough said! (And after previewing my blog my husband wanted to make sure I added that this is a member of the 501st legion. Whatever!)

Paddington is here representing a whole collection of decorations that were given to me by my Great Great Aunt Lucy. I don't remember her, in fact I'm not sure I ever met her, (mom if you are reading help me out here!) but I heard so many stories about her and her adventures that I feel like I know her at least a little bit. Paddington was also a big part of my childhood. I had a Paddington bear and his Aunt Lucy in stuffed animal form. We also read the stories frequently while I was growing up. My very favorite Paddington story is Paddington and the Knickerbocker Rainbow.

And so that brings us to the owl. Before I was born my mom and dad spent sometime living in Guatemala and this little owl is souvenir of that period in their lives. They come in three colors: red, green, and yellow. I'm not sure how many the brought back but I know they had some and they gave some to each of my grandparents as gifts.

And so that concludes your tour of my Christmas tree. Mom if you are out there reading and have anything to add to the stories I've told please do so!

I've Been Tagged

2009-11-21T12:00:00.000-09:00

My blogging friend Kristen tagged me as a Theta Mom. A Theta Mom is a True Authentic mom. Thank you Kristen, I am humbled. And I am now charged with writing about 5 things that make me a True Authentic Mom. Alright lets do this!

1) The contents of my purse always includes both and EpiPen and a diaper. Sadly wipes are optional, besides you can always use wet toilet paper in a pinch. I also almost always have a pacifier, although it never seems to be there when I really need it.

2) I have walked through church, the mall, the airport, and may other public places with spit-up pooling on my shoulder or running down my back. I've also had to change my pants as I was leaving because someone spit-up in a very inconvenient place!

3) I have more apps on my iPhone to entertain my kids than to entertain myself.

4) The pharmacist at Safeway knows my name.

5) Conversations around my house include everything from cars to bodily functions.

Now I tag Kristin, Renee, Erin, April, and Jamie. I can't wait to read what you ladies have to share!

Jason's Message

2009-11-21T05:00:00.000-09:00

He just wanted to say "Hi."

Green Bean

2009-11-20T05:00:00.000-09:00

Yesterday was Thanksgiving dress-up at the boy's daycare. Of all the dress-up days they have at the daycare this is one of the most difficult. How exactly do you dress up for Thanksgiving? In the past Jonathan has dressed up as a Pilgrim but he just didn't have anything that fit the bill this year.

This morning Dan picked out clothes for him. Jonathan was appalled that the clothes did not fit the dress-up day theme. Dan told him that he just didn't have anything he could wear for Thanksgiving day. Jonathan said, "But Dad I want to be a green bean so I just need to dress in all green!" I have no idea where this idea came from but Dan ran with it and picked out a green shirt and a pair of green Carhartt pants (thanks AG!) And so here is our creative little Green Bean!
I was so impressed with his creativity. I never would have thought of being a green bean. I wonder what he will come up with next!

Brothers... Oh I think so!

2009-11-19T06:00:00.000-09:00

Any guesses who this is?

This picture of Jonathan was taken in March of 2006 when he was 8 months old. I love the similarities between his expression and the expression Jason had in yesterdays post. They are most definitely brothers. While their little personalities are VERY different they both have this happy little boy energy that I think this picture captures very well.

Wordless Wednesday - Personality

2009-11-18T05:00:00.000-09:00