Our return home-Juneau

My time to keep this blog updated has been limited. Here is a brief summary of the last two months.
- Brett came to New Orleans for the last two weeks. He is close to getting his next book published and it still enjoying his work at the law office.

- Landry mastered the full crawl and is now standing on his own for several seconds. Landry babbles and laughs all the time. He goes along with the flow especially lately when I bundle him up for 15 degree temperature and head outside for several hours.

- Wilder is trying to understand morality issues. (We eat deer, so the deer must have been mean) Wilder is trying to understand the world, people and animals are either nice or mean. Wilder loves the snow. We have been having our daily adventures. We recently claimed a spot in the forest as our special place (I think we will call it Shooting Star Forest). We built a fire and cooked lunch for ourselves. Today, we went to a friends snow cave.

- Kristy (Me) enjoying being back in Juneau. I have been skate skiing with the boys on Mendenhall Lake and the campground. This is my winter passion. It is an incredible workout and Wilder gets to place in the snow for a while. We also like to look for the black wolf who has made his home on the lake. I have been making several crafts needle felting and wet felting. I love it. It makes me feel happy to see Landry and Wilder playing with toys that I made.

I have really fallen in love with staying home with Wilder and Landry. We are settling into our routines. I must go outside every morning with the kids, it is a matter of survival. We have become creatures of habit. Some people look at me like I am crazy outside with 2 kids (with temp -5 below to 28 above). We just dress for the weather and have good gear that protects little people. Not to mention our 100lb dog that needs daily exercise. It is good for us all.

Big Branch Marsh, Lacombe

My parents live about 4 miles from Big Branch Marsh Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge is huge it borders Lake Ponchatrain on the northeast side of the lake. This week we have been exploring different access areas to the Refuge. Hiking trails in the area are scarce, I have sought out several gems within a 10-15 minute drive from Mopsie and Pop's house. Our two favorite trails are close to 5 miles in length and have been abundant with wild life. So far we have spotted 2 deer, 1 large bee hive, 3 owls, woodpeckers, 1 armadillo, 1 coyote, 2 cotton mouths snakes, 1 nutria, several blue herons and lots of egrets. Wilder is a wonderful naturalist and hiking partner.

Landry is sitting up unsupported and beginning to crawl on his knees. He has become the master scooter (all over the house). He also has his first tooth as of this week.

Monster Mash-Oct. 25

We are having so much fun in New Orleans staying with my family. There are so many events and activities. I have been limiting ourselves to one big event on the weekends. Today we went to an event called Monster Mash in Bogue Falaya Park near downtown Covington, LA. It was so much fun, it was created for toddlers and preschool age kids. There were games, trick or treats, music, bug mobile, zoo mobile, crafts and food.

Wilder and I have been working on his costume this week. He dressed up as a gnome. To make it complete he wore his belt with a pocket and carried all important things for a gnome (nuts, string, needle and stick) I was bit nervous because everytime I asked Wilder to try on the hat, he would squeal and run away. Finally, he tried it on and fell in love. He would not take his hat/beard combo off, even when we got in the car to go home.

The costume was such a hit I am going to make one for Landry and myself for Halloween.

Auquarium of America- Oct. 24

My mom skipped work today to go to our Waldorf School parent/toddler play group and to our Friday outing in the city. This week I met Aunt Karen at the Aquarium. I was wonderful to see the excitement in Wilder's face as he traveled from each exhibit. We would squeal with joy to see 40lb catfish, white alligator, alligator snapping turtle, blue dart frogs, sharks, sting rays, and sea horses. After we went shopping in the French Quarter for Christmas gifts.

Wilder the Builder- Oct. 23

Who needs "Bob the Builder". Last weekend we pulled out a workbench that my Grandpa Landry built 30 years ago. Several years back I cleaned and painted it. It is a great workbench for a kid. Wilder has made use of the shelves and has placed his tools on top. Wilder made several different versions of skyscrapers. Wilder is wearing a belt with a pocket sewn on it, he puts his special things inside (nuts, string, dolls) Landry gets excited and smiles for his brother.

Wild Things- Oct. 18

No I am not referring to Wilder and his cousins in this title. There was a National Wildlife Refuge event 10 minutes from my parents house to educate the public about about all the local Refuges and to have fun. We met several of Wilder and Landry's cousins Anna, Zach and Augie. We took canoe rides, touched lots of animal hides and skulls, walked about the Big Branch Marsh Refuge.
After Zach and Augie came back to Mopsie and Pop's house for more playtime with family.

Bug Patrol- Oct. 6, 2008

My cousin Lauren lives in Warner Robbins, GA with her 2 boys Zach(4) & Aiden (3). Lauren in the the Air Force Reserve Unit and had duty. So her boys came to New Orleans to stay with their Maw-Maw (my Aunt Karen). We went down the road in St. Bernard Parish to some relatives house to explore the forest. We created the bug patrol unit, each boy held a tool a shovel, rake or net. We turned over logs, dug holes, lifted leaves and came home with a full bug jar. Our best find was 6 worms and a 2 inch grass hopper.

Pumpkin Festival

Last weekend we went to the Red Bluff Farm's Pumpkin Festival. We went with our cousins Anna, Alice and Seth. We watched the sheep shearing, cow milking, calf feeding, corn shucking. We also fished with a cane pole, played with baby pigs, goats and chicks. We went on a wagon ride and watched a blacksmith hammer metal. Woahhhhhhhh. So much activity in one day.


I am taking the boys to the Waldorf School- Hill School in New Orleans once a week for a parent/child group. It is located uptown in the Garden District. This is a happening part of town I drive down St. Charles Ave. to get there. There are people jogging, riding bikes and walking dogs. Wilder loves to spot the street cars. http://www.waldorfnola.org/

Audubon Zoo -Where they all ask for you

Ahhh!!! The weather in New Orleans has been incredible, 65-85 degrees. Wilder has a pet turtle named "Tommy", Uncle Decker gave it to him from his collection. Everyday Wilder checks on Tommy and says "I love you".

We have made various trips to the zoo. One day as we were driving, Wilder was gazing out the window. I asked him what he was thinking about. He said " I'm thinking about the zoo" and I probed further "What about the zoo". Wider responded "Ant eaters". We then started talking about getting a pet ant eater so it would eat all the ants in Pop's yard.

Landry has mastered the scoot. He is fully mobile, playing with Wilder's toys and still laughing and smiling all the time.

enjoying my "new" summer

Ahhh!!! The weather in New Orleans has been incredible, 65-85 degrees. This Fall has been a "new" summer for us. I have been enjoying

Day in the Quarter

Mopsie took off of work on Monday, we went into the city for an adventure. We had been telling Wilder we were going to the Audubon Zoo since Sunday. Unfortunately the zoo was closed on Mondays, and the Aquarium of America. We finally decided to spend the day walking around the French Quarter. We took a horse and buggy ride, climbed trees in Jackson Square and ate beignets and muffalettas.

Belle River

This weekend we traveled about 2 hours southwest from New Orleans to "cajun county". Pierre Part area, Belle River, Louisiana. I have a cousin who lives on a house boat. It is a beautiful house boat built on a barge. We put a kayak in the river looking for alligators and ducks. We went on a beautiful skiff ride for the sunset and then ate frog legs.
We had a house boat full of people. Jeanne' and Butch (their houseboat and my 2nd cousin), Oudrey, Ashley and Oudrey IV (my 3rd cousisn) Renee (1st cousin) and Aunt Karen, finally myself and Landry. Wilder stayed at Mopsie's and Pop's house.
Oudrey III made the frogs legs.

I can't wait to go back to Belle River, it seems the pace of life seems much slower as I watch the herons, egrets, gators, ducks and boats.

Down the "Road"

Our trip to New Orleans has been wonderful. Sun...sun....sun. I have not worn shorts once this summer in Juneau.


We went to visit the grandparents in St. Bernard Parish yesterday. We had a great time looking for turtles in Uncle Decker's yard and climbing on huge cypress logs. Wilder even went home with his first pet, a turtle. He later named him Tommy and put him in a fenced yard at Pop Pop and Moppy's house.

We have also been following Uncle Ryan and Aunt Kristine's Sunday Saints Game Tradition (game day shirts and wings)

Travels to a new land

Here are a few pics to end our summer in Juneau.




Myself and the kids will be spending the next 3 months with my family in New Orleans. We arrived September 11th. Our travel through the airports were not bad. I made a baby backpack for Wilder to carry his baby through the airport. We had lots of "good samaritan" help. Brett will be traveling to Germany, Hanoi, Anchorage and New Orleans this Fall.


We have spent the last few days settling into our routine. I have been biking with the kids in a bike trailer most mornings on the St. Tammany Trace. The Trace is a great rails to trails system that covers 31 miles. http://www.tammanytrace.org/ We have been feeding the birds, playing in a small plastic pool and enjoying our time barefoot.

I am looking forward to spending time at the Audubon Zoo and the Aquarium of America.
Ohh... Landry is 4 months and is beginning to crawl.

The only sunny day this summer

We had a few more sunny days this summer but not many. We met up with some of our friends at Sandy Beach to enjoy the weather.

Smoking Salmon

This year I ordered 64lbs of sockeye salmon from my friend Lindsay who fishes in Bristol Bay. It was quite the ordeal to brine all the fish and smoke it. I used a friends custom built smoker it fit 7 sockeye in it at a time.

Camping with Buzz & Monica

We went on a camping trip, our friends have a rustic cabin on South Douglas Island. We arrived to their "Douglas Paradise" after a 10 minute skiff ride in the rain.
Elias was eager to jump our the skiff once we arrived on shore. Wilder had a great time playing in stream and ocean, swinging on a bouy and playing with the fire.





Landry was passed into loving hands throughour the weekend and even got to sleep in a "halibut scale".



Elias sliced open his paw on the beach so I performed backcouunty first-aid.



They have platforms set up for tents and great outdoor kitchen with tarp and fire pit.

Southeast Alaska State Fair

We just returned from the Southeast Alaska Fair. We were cold and wet and still had a great time. Wilder rode the carousel many times and Landry slept through it all. Eve and Bob let us take their Eurovan. It makes camping in southeast Alaska plush.