This is Heidi getting up close and personal with a moose:
This is Austin getting up close and personal with a moose:
We spotted a moose outside the hotel while we were inside and of course Austin and his brother went running out to get some pictures, making the rest of us very nervous about how close they were getting. I love that he got these photos, but I was worried that the moose might not take it well with how close he got.
We went to Alaska for Austin's little brother Kenny's wedding. Despite the bitter cold and lots of sickness going around (our family had a stomach bug and Austin's sister's family had a cold) we had quite a bit of fun in Alaska. It was great to see all the cousins- especially for the kids to meet their new cousins. And Austin and I loved being able to go to some of the stores that the US (even Alaska!) has, that Canada doesn't. Here are a bunch of the photos from Canada, though they are a bit out of order because some are from my phone and most are from our camera.
Of course, Target the store that was the most exciting for me. We used it as a place to let the kids run around since it was so cold outside and their were going crazy in the hotel (the swimming pool that they were all looking forward to was closed for the whole week we were there!) Here is a photo of Heidi riding around on a sled with her Uncle Brent. He also played in a little house with her, which she loved.
Aunt Renee styled Heidi's hair for the wedding. She was thrilled to sit there and get it curled, but it didn't hold very long- oh well!
Here is a shot of all the flower girls heading up before the ceremony:
On the day that I was the most sick, the two youngest stayed at the hotel with me and Leif and Asher got to go to the Air Force Base to see the jets and try on this fighter pilot helmet. They also got to eat at a food court, which seemed to be quite memorable for them as they told me all about how everyone ate at a different restaurant.
Here is a shot of the kids in a souvenir shop:
Most of these shots come from our drive from the hotel to the house where the wedding took place. It was really cool to see the tide going out with chunks of ice in the water, because you could easily see how fast it was moving. Austin took the boys down to get a closer look, but I was a little afraid of slipping on all the ice, especially with Heidi crying and fussing about slipping and being cold, so after a few minutes, I just took Heidi and Trevor back to the car.
Here are some photos we took at the wedding:
Heidi was thrilled with her job of flower girl and loves to talk about how she threw flowers on the ground.
Typical Leif face when he is sick of pictures ;)
We went to church at the building across the parking lot from the Anchorage temple. Its a tiny little temple, but it was fun to see.
We had a day longer than the rest of Austin's family since they left really early in the morning and we left really late at night. It was a terrible flight (like the most miserable flight I've ever had!), but it was well worth it for the extra day we got in Alaska exploring a nearby state park (we saw a bald eagle, but no pictures), having lunch with Austin's brother, and having pizza with our newest family members: his wife and two kids.
Like I've already said, it was super cold and this day I forgot Trevor and Heidi's mittens, but the boys had theirs, so I told them to run out as far and they could, play for a bit, then run back to get some wiggles out.
We are so glad we had this opportunity to visit Alaska-even if it was in January. I'm already begging Austin to take me back (just the two of us would be nice!) in the summer, but as he wisely informed me, that probably isn't going to happen for at least ten years. That's ok- we have plenty to explore in Eastern Canada and the US!
