Dixon Entrance

So many "new" pictures!

2011-05-13T14:37:00.000-08:00

I've decided the only reason blogger is useful to us is for posting larger quantities of pictures for family to view. Now if we would all get on Facebook, wouldn't THAT be a dream! It would be so easy! A dream, yes - something imaginary that will never happen. :)

Enjoying some grapefruit together a couple months ago

I've since put the kibosh on this anti-social behavior, but what a funny picture! :)

Climbing down a slide

You should hear her say "slide!" It's so cute!

Making a HUGE and totally fun mess while I make bread

She needed just a little more flour....

Do I do this?? It was really cute! She stood very attentively for several minutes with her hand on the mixer.

Us with our good friends Andy and Lisa on a night out recently

Silly girl actually placed a couple of blocks on her tower with her mouth! I love how silly she is. :)

My family will have a special appreciation for these next five or six pictures. One evening I sent Andrew a text at work saying, "meet us at the Lake Hood bike trail after work!" There we met him with a picnic! It was NOT warm weather. It was very windy and cool and I almost decided to cancel, but then I remembered all the memorable (notice I did not say 'pleasant') times I had in Ketchikan on windy beaches roasting hot dogs and building fires and never being quite warm. So we did it and had a really fun time together!

The site

Our view

Helping Malena eat her first ever roasted hot dog!

Our beautiful little fire

Mmmm barbecue chips

A sweet father-daughter moment

Back to normal life...Malena in her diaper making rice!

These next few pictures are from a walk we went on just an hour ago!

Blurry, but what a cutie!

Us!

Sweet pea

So happy days of fun in the sun are here!!!

Christmas and more

2011-01-22T23:32:00.000-09:00

Oh how I procrastinate and how daunting these posts become! Seriously. How have nearly two months passed already??? Do you realize how many pictures we've taken in that time? *sigh* I really DO want to share some of the pictures from the last several weeks because we have captured some AMAZING Malena-ness. She's learning to ham. She'll actually do something for me twice so that I can take a picture of it. She is...self-aware now, I think. :) BUT FIRST, I must share a few Christmas photos. Maybe the really AMAZING pictures will have to wait for the next post.

My darling parents came for 2 1/2 weeks and experienced the coziness of our small "treehouse" during a very cold month. My Dad braved the frigid temperatures often enough, but only out of desperation and because he has this abominable snowman type coat. I cooked and baked (it was Christmas after all) and my mom, when not washing endless sink-fulls of dishes did the best she could to occupy Malena who was in a very unfortunately timed mommy stage. I watched both of my parents love, play with and adore their grand-daughter which, believe me, is a sight for sore eyes when you live in Alaska. Andrew worked a lot so he wins a badge of honor for providing for our family whilst still charming the in-laws. :)

We opened presents on the wrong day (life in the weather service), made important decisions REALLY appreciating God's provision of my parents' wise counsel and experience, watched football (I was greatly chagrined), and had a very amusing/heartbreaking skype call with Andrew's parents in which it was VERY evident Malena remembered them and wondered what they were doing in the computer??? So enough talking. Here are some pictures. :)

These really came out in random order - sorry.

My Ukpik parents! Ice sculptures downtown.

A pink-nosed girl snuggling in with the ever-present "fuzzy".


She is saying "cheeeese!" :) :)

A little blurry, but precious

Malena "helped".

These bells were HANDS-DOWN her FAVORITE thing to play with for weeks on end.

Malena's very first tower that she built all by herself! You see, Grandpa Dennis? Your training paid off! :)

All dressed for a Christmas party!

The Christmas meal

Cutie. :) We all went to the Zoo in zero degree weather to see their lights display.

Hard to tell, but there we all are (except for Andy).

Football with Grandpa. His dream come true. :)

I left so much out but I think I have like a dozen pictures here. This will have to do. Andy took my on an AWESOME surprise for my birthday in December. That will have a post all its own. :)

Trip to Michigan

2010-11-28T12:30:00.000-09:00

We just returned from 10 days in Michigan visiting Andrew's family, and especially meeting our beautiful new niece, Charlotte. Charlotte and Malena are going to be GREAT cousins, especially since Charlotte was born only two days after Malena's first birthday! David and Emily are AMAZING parents; so patient and seemingly relaxed and at ease in their new role. If only I had handled the first six months of parenthood with such grace. :)

Okay so I have LOTS of pictures, and I'm not very good at controlling where Blogger puts them. So here they are in no particular order. I hope you enjoy them!

Andy in his natural habitat.

Charlotte and Malena meeting! Well actually, they first met while Charlotte was still in her carseat, and Malena made her cry. :) But they warmed up and were soon completely absorbed with one another by dinner time.

Malena climbed the tree and Andy heroically rescued her!!

Uncle David and Malena bonding.

There's never a shortage of things to eat at Grandma's house!

You can't hear it, but this is the face that accompanies the giggle and squeal Malena utters when she sees animals. She LOVES animals and we were watching some deer.

Malena's first toss in a pile of leaves!

Grandpa and I trying to get her into the spirit of leaf frolicking.

She finally got into it. :)


A cape-bearing girl taking a delightful ride on Daddy's shoulders!

We took a day in Frankenmuth to celebrate our month-old anniversary - just the two of us. So fun!

Andy was very reluctant to take this picture. Therefore I must post it for the world to see. :)

The grandparents with the girls.

The great-grandparents with the girls.

Sweet, sweet Charlotte asleep on Uncle Andrew's chest.


Happy Grandma. :)

I have an unmanageable number of really great pictures!!!

2010-11-27T15:58:00.000-09:00

And I don't know what to do!! This would be far more manageable if I posted more often. :) Here are a few randoms, and then I will do a new post just about our visit to Michigan to meet our BEAUTIFUL new niece, Charlotte. For now, randomness.

Smoothies have become a very favorite snack with Malena. She loves to suck the whole thing down very quickly so is receiving hard lessons in brain freeze!

Malena has discovered the joy of the washer door! SO FUNNY!!

How could you not love her???

FUN!

Snow was very late in coming this year, so we still had green grass in October!

I'm not sure what's going on with my hand, but otherwise a very nice picture on a hike overlooking Turnagain Arm.

Malena loves to tote around this highschool picture of Grandma Kathie. :)

I know, so many Malena pictures. But let's face it, this blog is for the grandparents. :)

A new experience of fall

2010-10-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

Fall is absolutely my favorite season. I love the crisp air, the colors (though you Michiganders will say I have yet to see fall colors!), the feeling that something is happening. Fall actually feels a little mischievous. Like it has a little twinkle in its eye because it's brisk and energetic and knows something you don't.

Living now in downtown Anchorage, fall has been a whole new experience. There are crabapple trees and some kind of maple tree or bush galore, so there are REDS (take that Michigan! :) ) This evening I smelled burning leaves for the first time in my life. It was wonderful. It made Andy all wistful.

Here are a few pictures from today. Not award-winning photography, mind you, but hopefully you'll still enjoy them.

First, here's a video from a short walk Malena and I took this morning.

Crabapple

Some kind of pretty tree

Loved this fence. Wish the picture had turned out a little more amazing.

These are a couple of beautiful pictures Andy took lastnight.

And this is an adorable picture of Malena trying to figure out how to put her boots on by herself. :)

I hope you're enjoying fall wherever you are!

Soooo much to catch up on!!

2010-09-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

WOW what a summer it's been! The last couple months have been PACKED, but you wouldn't know it judging by our blog! We had visits from grandparents and friends, we attended the always breathtaking air show at Elmendorf AFB, Malena made her first trip to the fair, we braved an overnight backpacking trip with our baby girl, Malena had her first birthday and a party to go with it, we became and Aunt and Uncle for the first time...on and on it goes! So I'll spend this week trying to post some pictures to go along with all these wonderful events!

Here are a couple from recent days.

Daddy and Daughter enjoying each other. :) This picture is only a few weeks old but she now has two more teeth!

This big girl cruises around with ease and is practicing her free standing quite a lot the past couple of days. She also showed great interest in eating the gravel pictured here. I told her she's worked too hard to grow her five little teeth just to break them with rocks!! :)

Malena and me getting ready to step out of the car and into the great and famed Alaska State Fair! I had Cajun Fried Pickles! They were interesting. :)

A little family photo taken at Malena's birthday party. Obviously Mom was thinking more about decorations and cake than her hair that day...

Stay tuned for more this week!

We have a first word!

2010-07-26T09:55:00.002-08:00

And it is.....BYE! It is always said accompanied by somewhat shy and "I'm proud of myself" giggling, and just today very definitely coincides with waving!! So cute. :) I guess that will be the only fun part of Grandma and Grandpa Dixon leaving at the end of their upcoming visit - Malena can say goodbye too! :)

Should've been last post while Andy was in D.C....

2010-07-25T22:49:00.001-08:00

Is she a happy girl or what? :)

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Peekaboo through the table!

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Trying on some fun pink shoes! Which I seriously began to spell c-h-o-e-s... Sad!

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Tasty drawer knob!

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One of Malena's latest antics is to roam about the room with something in her mouth. I can't decide if she reminds me more of a PUPPY or a PIRATE! What do you think??

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Pure sweetness. :)

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Andy did arrive home safely and we were all happy to be reunited! Malena was so thoughtful and made a "welcome home" sign for him. :)

Last night in Washington

2010-07-13T21:58:00.001-08:00

In the morning I will fly back to the great state of Alaska. I have immensely enjoyed my time in DC, especially spending so much time with my cousin Stephen, but I am very excited to be reunited with my girls in Anchorage. Until then, here's a few more pictures that I took the other afternoon while Stephen and I were biking around the area. It still amazes me the concentration of incredible landmarks in such a small area here.

People playing frisbee in front of the Capitol -- AWESOME!

More of the Washington Monument

Base of the Washington Monument

Looking west from the Washington Memorial.... WWII Memorial in the foreground, then the reflecting pool, then the Lincoln Memorial.

WWII Memorial

My personal favorite in 8th grade and still my favorite now -- LINCOLN!

Korean War Memorial

Front of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Another favorite...Jefferson Memorial

Capitol City Brewhouse for Dinner..... I tried the Hefeweizen beer and it was good but did NOT compare with Moose's Tooth Hef in Anchorage! Nevertheless, the inside of the brewhouse looked cool.

J. Edgar Hoover FBI Headquarters

A hotel called "The Willard" which is apparently where the term "lobbyist" was born because many politicians would stay at the hotel and people would constantly hang around in the lobby to schmooze with them and whisper "suggestions" in their ears when they came downstairs. Also, apparently Ulysses S. Grant liked to stop here for a drink and cigar quite frequently. Neato!

The Treasury Building.....I need a bailout!!!

The back of The White House....I kept looking for Obama peering out the window....but no luck.

Secret Service monitoring the perimeter 24/7.

The people in this tent have apparently been camping here every day since 1981 to protest the existence of nuclear weapons.

Front of the White House....beautiful.

Kendra requested that I actually appear in a picture, so here it is :)

One final note....we've had 4 discrete thunderstorms in the last 2 days......my first real thunderstorms in 5 years. I am AMAZED how much I missed them! It is almost enough to make me want to move back to the Lower 48.....almost ;)

See you back in Anchorage!

An avocado meets a gory - I mean glorious - end

2010-07-10T16:19:00.000-08:00

If anyone besides me and Andy is checking our blog I'm sure you are almost sick of us, we've been posting so much! :) Sorry...we're just trying to keep each other caught up. Just a few more days of this! :)

I begin with Malena's voracious love for avocados. She does not eat ANYTHING else in the all-consuming manner she eats an avocado. Eager, desperate, unrelenting. These are all adjectives that can describe her eating of the most expensive bit of produce Alaska has to offer. Behold.

Yesterday we enjoyed soaring temperatures, as high as 72!!! I was outside pretty much every moment Malena was awake. We began with a walk at a park with friends...

I guess that's all I have to show for that adventure...

Then later we walked to a playground not far from the house to distract poor Malena from her teething misery. She seems a little...pensive in these photos but they are SO CUTE!

Then even later we met up with Andrea and Aiden for a bike ride along the coastal trail.

Malena waited in the grass while I get the bike and trailer hooked together.

We live in such a beautiful place.

Aiden and Malena peering out from their little cabin. :)

A couple of randoms...

And finally, the everlasting battle to conquer all of the unpacking continued this afternoon. It's cloudy. I can finally get to it. :) Malena very sweetly explored and played while I worked. She is so adorably curious these days.

That's it for today. Back to my boxes I go!

The other end of the rainbow....

2010-07-08T18:23:00.000-08:00

It's Andy. I thought it would be cool to ALSO post regular blog updates while I'm in DC, at least when I do or see something noteworthy. Today I found my way to work out of town several miles in Camp Springs, Maryland. Here's a picture of the Metro exchange closest to my hotel. Subways are so cool!

Then I met up with my cousin Stephen after work, who lives here in DC. We went out to eat at his favorite Mexican restaurant, then went back to his apartment to hang out for a while. Then we started walking back toward my hotel to see some of the sites. Even though I've been to DC before (a long time ago) I am amazed by the weight and gravity that you feel just looking at some of these buildings and thinking about their influence across the scope of this country (all the way to our home in Alaska) and abroad. Truly amazing. See some pictures below.

The Supreme Court

The U.S. Capitol Building

Each house of Congress occupies half of the building (divided by the Chambers in the middle). Pictured here is the U.S. House of Representatives (on the other side is the Senate)

Turning 180 degrees around from the steps of the Capitol you look out over the National Mall with the Washington Monument standing proudly at the other end.\

We sat in front of the Capitol and talked while the sun went down, then took some more pictures.

Making the most of my time here so far, tomorrow Stephen and I hope to rent bikes and ride down to the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, and the War Memorials. It's fun to be here, but I wish my family was here with me!

Day 2

2010-07-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

L O T S of pictures. That is all.

These are Malena's modeling poses. Her expressions make me laugh!

"Please Mom, let me in the bathroom??"

Attempted self-portrait of us together. :)

We met some friends at a lake today.

Malena had no sense of boundaries when it came to Aiden's pacifier. That was in his mouth. Poor Aiden! :)

I think that last one looks like a picture from the cover of a CD. Only normally it would be a grown-up musician and not a baby. :)

We love you, Andy! See you back here tomorrow. :)

Hello Daddy

2010-07-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

Andy flew away this morning to Washington D.C. where he is honored to represent the Anchorage forecasting office to the weather service there. He will be liaisoning. :) This is the first time our little family has been apart for so long, and one week can be a long time in the life of a growing baby girl. So, I'll be posting a lot of pictures here over the next 7 seven days so he can feast his eyes, hopefully daily. Nothing can replace real hugs and kisses, but hopefully these posts will make him and you smile. :)

Today's pictures aren't momentous, but they do represent moments and details that one would normally enjoy in person.

The lilac bushes seem to be going through a second round of glorious blooming and they were BEAUTIFUL today!

Looking down at Malena during our walk...

Focusing on what her little fingers and toes were doing...

Finally (and randomly) a couple of gorgeous pictures I came across on the memory card.

They were taken in mid-March of this year.

She sure was chubby before she learned to crawl! :)

We love and miss you, Andy!

Clouds of Anchorage

2010-07-05T21:57:00.001-08:00

The wind was blowing 75 MPH today in Turnagain Arm, but relatively calm here in town. I am continually fascinated by this from a scientific perspective. Today, I decided to make a time-lapse video of these cool clouds. This is 25 minutes of video compressed to about a minute and a half. Enjoy!

*Note: For best quality, double click the video (it will send you to the Youtube site), then where it says 360P in the bottom right, click on the arrow and change it to 720P, and view it all in full screen!!!

We are on a roll....literally and figuratively!

2010-07-03T22:18:00.003-08:00

When I got home from work today, Malena and I decided to eat cookies together

One thing led to another, and pretty soon Malena was showing us how to WEAR her cookie :)

After a little cleanup, she went into her "peak-a-boo" pose...

We really enjoy riding our bikes around, but so far this hasn't been an activity on which we can bring little Miss M. UNTIL TODAY! We bought ourselves a handy-dandy bike trailer (I know, I know, there are 2 seats. No we are not making any announcements!) and decided to embark on a maiden voyage this evening. We rode down to the coastal trail which is only about 3 blocks away, and rode all the way into downtown. What a fun time, this is going to get a lot of use this summer I think!

Dad, this is for you. A little convective Chugach rain shower forming!

That's one happy little girl after her inaugural bicycle cruise!

And since a picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is worth a thousand pictures....

Happy 4th of July tomorrow everyone. If you're looking for something to do, perhaps it would be a good day to read the full text of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and/or Constitution aloud with some family or friends.

For the grandmas and the grandpas

2010-07-02T14:46:00.002-08:00

A misty mountain walk

2010-06-29T01:11:00.001-08:00

We went on a short hike today in Arctic Valley near the military bases. We are always excited about a chance to use our snazzy backpack. :) It was decently sunny near our little cottage home, but as we labored up to the mountains in my faithful Ford Contour, we realized we would be hiking into thick clouds. There is something quiet and enchanting about misty walks, so we looked forward to our little adventure.

Heading into the mist

Such scenes always remind me of the movie "Brigadoon"...a village appears out of the mists once every 100 years. We didn't encounter any magical, singing folk, but we DID meet a family of six hauling their kids up the mountainside in a Radio Flyer wagon! Wish we had a picture of that! :)

The day was rounded off nicely with a bike ride and a cozy fire in our little cottage.

It does fly right past you.

2010-06-26T21:45:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how often people say to us about our daughter, "Enjoy her now. The time flies so quickly." Malena will be 10 months in just two days and I already can't believe how much she's changed.

10 weeks old 1 week old

I also can't believe how much I've changed. I always imagined that "romantic" love was the deepest, fiercest, most altering love among human beings; but there is nothing like loving a child. I think in really simple terms I sought acceptance, companionship and teamwork in a marriage relationship; as a mother I ache to GIVE everything to this most amazing of beings, my daughter, so that she can become everything that she is and know without a doubt that she is beautiful, delightful, eternal, intentionally designed, knit together with excitement and joy, created in love by a wonderful God, that she is loved and someone who can give love to others (no small thing).

The amazing thing, the utterly astonishing thing is that I am loved like this. My mottled, imperfect love for Malena is a wonderful but muddy reflection of the dimensionless love of my Heavenly Father and I am that valuable to him. So is every person walking around.

So here's to the amazingness of loving and being loved. And here's to a little girl who has opened up a whole new chamber in my heart. :)

Rosebud

2010-04-05T20:57:00.001-08:00

We don't have any news or interesting stories to share at this time, so this will be mostly pictures - LOTS of pictures! We don't often post any great soliloquies here so I don't imagine you've come to expect them. :)

Rosebud: a fitting nickname for our baby girl in her poofy, tulle and rosebud infested Easter dress. Someone gave it to us before she was born and at first look I couldn't imagine viewing it as anything other than an excessively pink abomination. However, Malena has transformed it! She looked ADORABLE and I attempted to take her picture. These are the best results.

Following are various recent pictures for which I will surely create silly captions.

This is a perfectly adorable moment.

"Look Mom, I'm wearing your dress!" It's true: Uncle Jim and Aunt Carol gave me this dress when I was a newborn! Malena promptly spit up all over it so I don't think she' knows it's a special dress. :)

Love her.

This is how I get things done! Malena is learning the complexities of stirring.

AND NOW....for the funny ways Malena sleeps:

In Daddy's arms...

...in her bed...

...and with tiny fingers hanging on.

I will leave you with a smile. Just TRY not to smile back! :)

Forget it.

2010-03-24T11:00:00.001-08:00

I give up. I am not going month by month. Let me summarize: We are well, Malena is healthy and lots of fun and we are looking forward to a summer of adventures! Yes, you are missing out on some great pictures, but I'm going to let bygones be bygones and start from NOW. I have new cute pictures. :)

We have no idea how our summer adventuring is going to look with a baby. I think camping could be fairly miserable, but we fully plan to pack Malena along on our hikes, and maybe we will be brave enough to try camping a time or two. In preparation for these adventures, we are exposing Malena to new situations. For example, we recently introduced her Chewbaca, hoping to broaden her horizons a bit.

Perhaps this experience has prepared her to face the furry creatures of the Alaska wild. But I certainly hope none of them get THIS close to her!

We've also been showing her some different ways to style her newly acquired, voluptuous hair hoping it will prepare her for "camping hair".

It's important to be willing to eat unusual foods in the event of a survival situation, so Malena has been sampling new foods, such as this mango husk.

I imagine Malena will spend most of her time snuggling in for naps, and not foraging for mango husks to survive on.

Obviously I'm just being silly here, but if anyone has tips for

camping/hiking with children we would welcome your comments!

We are enjoying some BEAUTIFUL spring days finally! Saturday morning we walked by Lake Hood near our house and here are a few pictures we took.

I'm sure it doesn't look much like spring to you! :)

That's all for now! Don't grieve over the months you missed...rejoice that I'm actually blogging at all!! :)

We've got some catching up to do.

2010-03-14T22:26:00.000-08:00

Ooooh boy. Well this is going to be like six months in review. Think of this as a calendar. With only six months in it. But lots of fun pictures.

NOVEMBER

I like to call this one "glee in motion". :) What could possibly look happier than this blurry face!!!!! :) :) :)

Oh Malena...November is a blur. Honestly it's all a blur. Because of Malena. Sweet, sweet Malena. In November she learned to smile, and the Dixon household became a brighter, funner place to be. There is simply nothing like it when the introverted, indifferent newborn first gives you a real, responsive, just-for-you smile!

"Are you talkin' to me???"

We learned some things in November. I (Kendra) learned that showering every day is an inalienable right and no amount of crying was going to keep me from it. Andy learned that Malena's gummy smiles and goofy photos (this one is his all-time favorite...so far) could make even a 10-hour work day melt away.

We decided to be all Alaska-ish and get our own Christmas tree this year! So we took our three month old child into the woods IN THE DARK and Andy proudly chopped down the most Charlie Brown tree you have ever seen! But he was our tree and we loved him. We named him Tree Beard. Decorating him was challenging...one needed to go back and forth on the branches with the lights rather than the traditional around-the-tree method. There just weren't enough...needles...or branches.

Can I be honest at this point? That was November. It's a good stopping place. Check back for December. Then January through March. :) More RIVETING updates to come!!!

Working soooooo hard to get a new post up!!!

2010-03-13T10:50:00.000-09:00

Right now Malena is sleeping...so I am TRYING to get a post up!!! I am posting this declaration of my attempt so that you will know the wheels are in motion because it is very likely that I will not finish for days. :) Actually I should just send individual emails to Tiana and my father-in-law because I think they are the only two people on earth who actually hold out any hope for our blog. Too bad the rest of you didn't know there are cash prizes for faithful readership!! Haha! :) Okay. This is just silliness. Now to work on the REAL posting...

Here's to Johnny Cash

2009-10-26T16:29:00.002-08:00

Malena seems to really like Johnny Cash. :)

A new twist on the meaning of "Urban Jungle"

2009-10-17T20:58:00.012-08:00

So we glanced out the window this evening and saw a bull moose in the woods across the street. No big deal (for Alaskans), right? Then we spotted another smaller bull nearby. Soon they crossed over into our yard and started eating off the same small tree very aggressively. Soon, their real intentions became very clear....

Clearly they were not just HORSING around. They had a real BEEF with each other. HA HA!!

And here is a cool picture I took post-battle...

**MALENA UPDATE** For those interested parties, Malena now weighs 8.5 pounds, is learning to smile with her whole face, and does not like tummy-time AT ALL! Here's a random pic of Kendra and 'lil Miss M

Clown face

2009-10-06T18:11:00.003-08:00

Malena has thrush...and it's not going away...so they told us to dye her tongue purple!!! This has led to a new nickname: Clown Face. HA! :)

Stuff has happened!!

2009-09-24T18:34:00.004-08:00

Oh boy it's been a long time! For now I will let some pictures do the talking and we will editorialize some other time...when we have slept...so maybe several years from now. :) Well maybe just a few details to tide you over...

We have a baby now! We are all doing well. We are tired and at times overwhelmed by this total life change, but in general we are wearily delighted. :) Fall is in full swing and it is the perfect backdrop for all that we are experiencing. Autumn always catches my breath and fills me with anticipation. But it also means the brightness and activity of summer is fading...sort of melancholy. In so many ways our lives will never be the same - and we were just getting started on our journey together. But Malena has made us catch our breath, and though we don't know what we're in for we are full of anticipation with every heart-stealing smile and hint at a laugh. But we are truly very tired. :) So don't think we're starting a new wave of blogging here or anything!! :)

Okay some pictures!

Our Malena girl. :)

My new look. Ha! Whoulda thunk it...

Just precious.

We three! Okay you should know that it was 29 degrees!!! What kind of parents take their 4 week old to a glacier??? Poor Malena...only a preview of the adventures we will make her share with us. (Don't worry, she went straight back into the car after this.)

That's all for now!

Poor, scrawny, limping moose outside our house

2009-06-11T17:55:00.002-08:00

Poor thing! Not a glorious looking animal.

Never never never....

2009-05-04T08:06:00.004-08:00

....throw things in the oven to hide them when people are coming over. This could happen to you!

There used to be saran wrap on the dish....and that used to be a plastic container of cake.

I just rediscovered these pictures and I like them quite a lot. :)

2009-05-02T23:00:00.003-08:00

It was a fun day and we're silly. :)

BUDS!!

2009-04-10T10:44:00.004-08:00

They're here!!

Time for you to go, Old Man Winter!

News you've all been waiting for, and more!

2009-04-08T15:32:00.000-08:00

Wow, there could not be a more appropriate day to re-launch the blog than today. You'll find out more at the end. But first, a VERY brief list of HUGE events that have happened to us in the last 6 months in chronological order.....

1) September: I (Andy) went on a week-long Alaska hunting trip with a great friend from back in MI, Dan Claus. Here's the outcome:

Here is Dan with our 35" bull caribou!

2) October: We got married in Newcastle, CA and went on a sweet mini-honeymoon to the California coast!!!!

3) In late December we flew to Michigan to spend Christmas/New Years with the Dixon family and friends, and then flew to Italy for our delayed honeymoon. We went to Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan and had a blast!

Kendra in front of the Colliseum

Both of us on a bridge in the middle of Florence. We LOVED Florence!

4) ...except while we were in Italy Kendra felt a little wierd...... so long story short, while in Italy, we discovered via the very kind ER doctor who barely spoke english that we are PREGNANT!!! WOW SHOCKER!!! That was the middle of January...fast forward 3 more months and today we went in for our detailed ultrasound and found out that we are going to have a baby girl! Here's the most recent picture of our beautiful daughter (first time ever saying that!). It was really cool, we also got a DVD video of the whole ultrasound, it was really wild!! We have 2 ultrasound photos now. They show the amazing miracle that is unfolding before our eyes.

This was taken when we got back from Italy, Jan 27, ~9 weeks along

And here is our picture from today, ~19 weeks along

Thank you all for your prayers and support, we are pleased to report that the baby is healthy and shows no abnormalities or problems. During the ultrasound, we watched her open her mouth and yawn, suck her thumb, chew on her umbilical cord, and rub her head. Kendra'a due-date is Sep 2, so we are preparing for a fun summer of HIKING and baby preparation!!!

A solemn oath

2009-04-01T15:23:00.001-08:00

I, Kendra Dixon, do hereby solemnly swear to post something new this week!!!! Good grief. Where does one even begin at this point??? It will be a synoptical history of six months of life. One might think, "What all could possibly happen in only six months??" We found out! A LOT! Coming soon!

(not that anyone still reads this...)

Some pictures to whet your appetite:

Me, hanging onto something stable for dear life

while all that is familiar and expected vanishes!! :)

The oddly lunar landscape of winter.

Andy and me smiling with frozen faces!! Not a great picture but a recent one. Andy bearded and me with a mane. Too much hair in this picture!!

Oh goodness...

2008-11-11T17:58:00.000-09:00

There is SO MUCH to share....we are MARRIED! :) What a FUN FUN FUN and BEAUTIFUL day!! I bawled all the way up the aisle, we tried desperately to be the first couple ever to really absorb every word the pastor said and yet we don't remember it at all, we even DANCED, and EVEN THIS happened...(are you ready for this??)...MY PARENTS DANCED!!! Alright alright, maybe there is room in your imagination for that reality, but is there enough room to ponder that my DAD asked my mom to dance? It's true folks. Seriously, a magical evening. :) Oh it was perfect. Well it wasn't perfect but who cares; it was our wedding day, we loved and were beloved and now we're just waiting for the pictures to come back!!!!!! Here's one to get you started. :)

(Tiana, I KENDRA wrote this!!! So there!!!)

Strange rituals

2008-10-09T14:41:00.001-08:00

An anecdote

Some people camp out for 24 hours or even a weekend for opening night of a highly anticipated movie. That's also commonly done for sport events and concerts. I've only ever lined up once to be the early bird for an event. This morning. 6:15 a.m. Twenty degrees. Number nine. Johnson Tire Company. I heard somebody say that earlier (yes, EARLIER!) a woman had been there with a bucket to sit on but she had given up and left. The Great Alaskan Change Over. (All businesses and events in this state begin with "The Great Alaskan...".) . It happens every year in Anchorage. The first snow flakes fly and people both veer off the road at the sight as though driving conditions were already hazardous and flock en masse to get their studded tires put on. So I was there this morning. Number nine. It was surreal! I couldn't quite process the fact that the reason we were all standing there freezing to death in the dark in front of an empty building was because we wanted tires. Shouldn't there be some grander purpose? The first sound of hydraulic lug nut removers at 6:45 breathed new hope into our dimming vision. And finally, when I stepped up to the counter and presented my key, I felt like I had really accomplished something. I woke up early. I stood in line. I didn't freeze to death. And now I get studded tires. Satisfaction, folks.

A picture

Here's a gorgeous picture Andy took yesterday afternoon on a drive. I am always in awe of the beauty of this place.

An update

So here's what's happening these days. My job at the law firm ended last week and I have blissfully entered a new era of sufficient sleep, packing, moving, errand-running and last-minute wedding preparations. I'm leaving for California on Monday the 13th, Andy on Friday the 17th and we are really, really looking forward to introducing our families to one another and enjoying what will undoubtedly be some really memorable time with them. Today the leaves are fleeing from their branches faster than ever, so with the snow earnestly on its way I'm happy to be traveling to northern California for an extended Autumn.

So that's the news! I'll post some wedding pictures when we get back.

Hiking Adventures!!!!

2008-08-21T19:10:00.000-08:00

So in light of the dwindling "summer" weather, we've made an effort to get outside as much as possible lately to enjoy the beautiful state that we live in. Each time, we intended to blog about them, and each time promptly got busy with the next adventure. So, at long last, here is a selection of some of the more glorious trips we've taken lately, along with other randoms. But first, a random picture of Kendra as I passed her in my truck on the road ;)

Ok, ok, hiking pictures! The next 3 were taken on the Twin Peaks trail near Eklutna.

Then last Wednesday I hiked Pioneer with Gus, Brian, and Mickey. This hike was noteworthy for 2 reasons, 1) it was the highest peak I've climbed so far, and 2) it was also the greatest total elevation gain for any hike so far (started out at 109 ft above sea level, and climbed to 6300).

Here is a nice picture of Gus with the massive Knik glacier and Knik river in the background. We had just climbed above treeline at this point. It's hard to tell from the picture, but if you look up past the glacier you'll begin to make out the whole icefield that feeds the Knik as well as several other glaciers.

The valley was as green as any I've seen up here. This picture doesn't do it justice!!

By the time we got to the ridgeline, we were pretty wiped out. We still had 2 miles and 1000 ft to go until we reached the south summit, which is the peak on the left in the background that appears to be the highest.

Someone planted a flag at the summit. Here I am, as if I've really done something spectacular!!!

Le Wonderful

2008-08-18T16:16:00.001-08:00

WE'RE GOING TO.......

2008-07-29T10:51:00.000-08:00

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:)

Two blogs in one day??!!

2008-07-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

This particular entry marks Andy's entrance into this hallowed world. He might blog here now. Or maybe it will still just be me. Anyway the ideal of us having a blog together to map our wild Alaskan lives will somehow be fulfilled here.

Good things

2008-07-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time again so I really wonder if anyone will ever read this. :) Well I wanted to announce the news in blogdom that Andy and I are engaged! I think everybody knows but it's kinda fun to announce again. :) Andy Dixon completely surpasses everything I imagined or hoped for. I am profoundly moved by the beautiful gift that God has given us. So we're getting married in California in October. Planning has been quick and easy and now we're just waiting for the day to get here! Here's a picture of us from a boat trip we went on last week:

...and a picture of Andy looking diminutive even with a shotgun in front of mountains we camped near this weekend.

The boat trip we went on was a day cruise from Seward and we got some BEAUTIFUL shots that I just had to share. To those of you living in SE Alaska these views will look familiar, which is probably why I love them so much. This area of the state is so very different and the trip made me feel homesick!

On the cruise we saw these sweet little guys:

And these playful and majestic creatures:

It was an incredible day! It could NOT have been more perfect or exciting!

So all this to say, I am well, happy and enjoying life. If you just can't get enough of catching up with Kendra on the internet, you should look at our wedding website: www.mywedding.com/andrewkendra. There are more pictures of us there. What richness. :) Ta ta for now!

At long last - a blip on the screen

2008-02-20T10:46:00.000-09:00

I am still alive!!! Very much alive, actually. My parents came to visit at the end of September and since that time life has been on a ROLL!!!! I will try to summarize with words and pictures and then wait to see if you're still even checking here for signs of life. :)

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER: VISIT FROM THE 'RENTS
In a word: WONDERFUL. Fall was regionally stunning and I love my parents.

(don't know what to say about November so on to....)

DECEMBER: CHRISTMAS WITH AK FAMILY
I am extremely blessed to have such beloved friends here. I was able to spend Christmas Eve with a few other orphans like me, and then Christmas day with Jenn and the Always Wonderful Watsons.

Oh...and I also somehow ridiculously turned 30.
Pictured here is part of the celebration. Long story.:

JANUARY TO THE PRESENT:
I continue to be a student at UAA, although this semester I am only taking one class: Math 054. "I didn't know they had classes that started with a zero" you think to yourself. Well they do. These are the classes you took in 7th grade but need to take again. :) So I am enjoying re-learning how to add and subtract fractions. :) No pictures for this...unless you want me to post an equation...I'm sure you can imagine something...unless you also need to take Math 054.

I've done one or two things for the
first time this winter like snowshoeing:

And visiting a glacier.

And hanging out an awful lot with this guy:

His name is Andy and he has become a very big and wonderful part of my life.

IN OTHER NEWS:
I'm leaving for a 10-day vacation in about four weeks and am SO excited at the prospect of a little adventure, travel and time out of Alaska, as beloved as it is. I'm going to spend the majority of my time in California with my parents and I am really looking forward to that.

I guess I forgot to mention that I also moved in September and now live with the lovely Jenn and Tifiny. It has been really good to have some social life built into my life again with roommates. I learned and grew so much from living alone - I'm so glad I did that! But this feels really good too. Here we are in all our glory on New Years Eve:

We didn't really stay dressed that way...we were just feeling silly in the hat section at Sears - a moment stunningly captured with my cell phone.

That's all for now! It feels good to be back...we'll see how long this stint lasts. :)

Close encounters of the Moosen kind

2007-10-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

I would just like to say that I am sitting in the UAA library writing a paper (sort of) and a giant moose is grazing directly in front of me on the other side of the window. How did my life become UAA-student-writing-paper-in-front-of-moose? I wonder this. And I think you wonder this too. "What? You're a student aGAIN?!" Much to explain. I'll blog for real later. I have some fun stuff to share. Oooh! He just looked at me! I wonder if he would blog about his experience of grazing in front of a UAA student if he could? Anyway. Thanks to Tanya for "moosen".

More wonderment

2007-08-26T23:04:00.000-08:00

I went to the Alaska State Fair tonight with fair Tifiny. Okay, I might really be too tired to keep this pun up. I'm sure you're all disappointed, but it will probably be pictures from here out. The first thing I cared to photograph was this Llama:

That such an odd creature would have such beautifully, soft, and richly lashed eyes makes the Llama a worthy subject. A look that human women pay $6.95+++ a tube to achieve a Llama, of all things, naturally has.

The rest of these are the usual, breath-taking scenes that I can't resist attempting to capture in some measure. The one with the bronze mountains were taken when my soul was so overwhelmed by the softness and majesty of what I saw I could drive no longer. I hope you enjoy them. They could never, never compare to seeing it with your own eyes and soul.
These below are from a walk on Friday evening.
Oh so cute.

Alright. Thus concludes my blogging for the night. Now on to brownies and Knights of Prosperity. Next time I'll explain the moving bit. I'm staying in Anchorage. :)

How can clouds make people unhappy?

2007-08-16T22:36:00.000-08:00

I rather like clouds...

Will you be Elvis in 2019?

2007-08-16T10:27:00.000-08:00

Today I read in a sparky little column called The Edge that according to an Elvis biographer, the number of Elvis impersonators increased from 150 to 35,000 between 1977 and 2001. He projects that if this trend continues, 1/3 of the world's population will be Elvis impersonators by the year 2019. So. What's your twelve year plan? You could be Elvis in 2019.

My tribute to Portland's own Elvis.

Cherishing the mosaic

2007-08-08T23:01:00.000-08:00

I fear that you all will soon tire of my many natury pictures, but what can I say? It's good to be home. As I've said before, there's a part of me that just isn't home except when I'm in Alaska. So I love to be here. But I also really, really love that God has been making a mosaic of my life so that there are shards here and there which only feel at home in their own places: the nooks and crannies of Portland, the sidewalk flower shop on Gediminas Prospektas in Vilnius, a designer boutique, on a fishing boat, a porch swing, or a walk with my Dad, in the hug of any one of the many and precious friends with whom I've walked a mile in the becoming process...so much richness. I shouldn't write these late at night because I tend to ramble. But I would probably never write them any other time. :) So. Part of the "cherishing" idea is that I am moving in a few weeks to a new home. I am leaving my solitary "room with a view" that has helped me to see more in life. I am moving from my treehouse, far above Anchorage. I am moving forward into new things. So for the next month, unless my legs are broken, I am taking walks every day in this lovely neighborhood and savoring what God has steeped me in for more than a year (longer than I've lived anywhere as an adult!!). So these are a few pictures from my walk tonight.

The clouds and the colors in their blended softness were SO lovely.

I saw this cool dragonfly who died a peaceful death (not by me), perfectly preserved in his beautiful shape and colors. How do insects die peaceful deaths on a road? Did he die in his sleep? And why would he nap on the pavement? These are the things that keep me awake at 11:30 at night.

Okay that's all for now from miss nature. Good night.

Three random things

2007-07-21T22:13:00.000-08:00

ONE: My cousin Gabe who guides in the bush is staying with me for a bit due to a rare staph infection not at all attributable to his personal hygiene and here's a picture of what I like to call "the crater":

TWO: This is the sunset lastnight and it was really beautiful.

THREE: There was a rad dog at Costco today:

Peace out.

The picture that isn't

2007-07-15T00:41:00.000-08:00

Today my new friend Tifiny and I went hiking on the Turnagain Arm trail and it was a DELICIOUS day for it. Warm, windy, crayon blue skies sobered by black foreboding clouds that released a few drops of rain now and then to keep us cool. There are these shrubs (or something) that turn white kind of like dandelions in the middle of the summer and the white stuff blows all over the place so that it looks like there are tiny cotton ball fairies fluttering around. (Me and my imagination, I know). As the summer goes on, the trail becomes covered with them until you feel that you are walking on a carpet of cotton and that you must speak softly. It's lovely. I picked up one of the fluffy pods that hadn't lost all of its whiteness and it felt like petting a velvety rabbit, it was so thick and soft. Anyways, I'm starting to sound like the forest service or something so on with the pictures!

I love what you can see in the details, but sometimes you don't see all that is there until later. I didn't realize until I was loading these on my computer that I had a tiny little ant as my subject under one of the leaves.

I find myself "framing" shots a lot and I think it's because I want to remember what I saw how I saw it in that moment. This is almost impossible with the huge open majesty that you see everywhere here, but I love that these two show that I was peeking through the woods. :)

Hello Tifiny! She will so love that I put this here. :)

A glorious view!

...which brings me to the picture that isn't.

We sat at this precipice eating our sandwiches when suddenly Tifiny heard a low growl. She looked over her shoulder and a mere 10-15 feet behind stood a black bear about three years old. He had turned his face from us and was now looking at a group of people approaching on the trail. 15 feet provides quite the vantage point for a close range picture, but I have to admit the possibility did not enter my mind as we hit the trail with all haste! I think probably too hastily...in adreniline filled moments you're not really aware how quickly you're moving and I'm just thankful he was preoccupied by the other hikers (who did not get eaten) since fleeing from wild animals is never a good recourse. So there could have been a most impressive picture of a black bear here, but there isn't. :)

It's me. Don't let the calm smile fool you. It took a while for my heart to stop pounding. Like an hour.

In closing, I would love to dazzle you with some insightful thoughts from my day in nature, but nature has worn me out.

Good night.

I lived on the moon

2007-07-12T22:43:00.001-08:00

I like this. It is strange and enchanting.

Me: Too prosaic or too overwhelmed for poetry?

2007-07-11T22:43:00.000-08:00

I keep typing things and then deleting them. I used to be gifted with words...maybe I still am. I think I used to use words to create things - a feeling, a picture. I sit here wanting to use words to reflect something, but the images are unsatisfying. What I seek to reflect is too complex, too beautiful, too simple, too changing for my words to stick to it. I am not a poet, and as far as I can judge only poets can do what I attempt so unsatisfyingly. So I will hum instead, and smile, and muse.

I am delighted to say that this day I have received both a computer, hence I am bloggerific, and a camera, hence I can show you some PICTURES. Against the backdrop of Latin jazz (came with the laptop...I like it) I present to you my drive home. Here is the place that has kept my heart and wooed me back once again. Alaska is inextricably part of me along with many other things so it gives me great pleasure to show you one of my loves.