we took a little drive

We drove up the road that goes to Arctic Valley this evening. Jason had taken the kids up there with the outdoor camp this week, but they wanted to go at a time when they could get out and appreciate the view. They also wanted Luke, Seth, and me to be able to see it, too. Not too far after starting up the mountain, the pavement ends and the washboard gravel road begins. Seth LOVED it! (Click on that sentence to see a short, loud video of how MUCH he enjoyed it.)


Look how tiny Luke is compared to the great outdoors.



Luke officially got tired of being with just Seth and me today. By this afternoon, he was standing at the front window, watching for Joel and Makenzie to get home, a couple tears in his eyes. I played games, watched movies, ate Happy Meals, let him eat candy almost anytime he asked, bought him a new Ninja Turtle monster truck, played bashminton (like badminton, except no rules and no score -- at least that's the six-year-old/tired-out mommy version) outside -- but after five whole days without his big brother and sister, Luke really missed them!

A little side note which will put me into the "nerd" category, I'm sure: After reading all nine "Little House on the Prairie" books to my kids, we have started watching the tv show "Little House on the Prairie." Last night, we finished season one :-) I put season two on hold at the library today :-) I was VERY excited to also find out that there are even MORE "Little House" books. They're by a different author, but they tell the life stories of Laura's daughter, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother (I think). I'm not sure how factual these newer books are, but I'm sure they'll be interesting! Please remember while you're chuckling at my "nerdiness" that I DO live in Alaska -- we're stuck inside A LOT and look in all sorts of directions for easy entertainment. Also, it's hard to find interesting books that are appropriate for little kids -- these are great for our little "bedtime story" reading. Plus there's the nostalgia for me since I'm pretty sure I watched the original episodes of "Little House on the Prairie" when I was a little kid :-)