Building Project

John and John-John are helping to lay the foundation of the pole barn they how to build. They got quite a bit done today.

Alaskan wildflowers

This is Fireweed. It is a really pretty smelling flower. You can find it here along side the roads and on the sides of mountains. I hiked all the way to the top of the RCA mountain today. I picked flowers and had a small picnic at the top. -Cari

We are a part of the 10% Club!!! Today was clear and we were able to see all of Denali!

Last night we took in some Alaskan fishing. This was quite the experience. Very marshy. The moss was so incredibly thick! It is so beautiful here completely surrounded by mountains. It was 11:30pm when I took this picture! You read right - at night!!!! It does not ever get dark this time of year - you can't even imagine how that plays with your brain. I am having difficulty knowing what day it is, let alone what time it is!!! Still adjusting. We have slept well, but I think it is because of shear exhaustion.

Moose Poop!

John-John is pointing out "MOOSE POOP"! We would prefer to see the moose! HA! We have seen lots of tracks and droppings - but no moose yet. Couldn't pass this educational tidbit... esp. for you Dr. Kennedy!

Denali

This is Mt. McKinley, or in Athabascan "Denali", meaning "great one." It is the highest peak in North America. We took this picture on the way to Cantwell. It is enormous! It stand way above anything near it. This is not a clear day, so you cannot see the entire mountain. I guess only about 10% of the people who come to Alaska get to see the whole mountain. It is our hope that since we are staying so long and so near Denali that we will be one of the few. Clark trivia: Denali is John-John's middle name that he recieved on his 13th birthday.

Our 1st day in Anchorage, Cari had the opportunity to ride in a dog cart. The precious woman that allowed us to stay in her home trains dogs. It was a fun experience!

Anchorage, Alaska

We are finally here! I can now upload the airport picture. Yeah! It has been a little difficult to get on the web with enough time to upload pics. Anyway, do you like our tie-dye theme?! It kept our whole group together, esp. the little ones. The trip was long, but really uneventful. All went well. Praise the Lord and thank you for your prayers.

We leave tomorrow!!

We haven't posted in the last week because we have been so busy preparing for the trip and celebrating my sister's birthday etc. We are packed, loaded and in Muncie, IN overnight tonight. We will be flying with our dear friends - there will be 14 of us traveling together - most children. It will be a long day of travel full of great anticipation I'm sure. For those of you who are interested: Alaska is 4 hours behind our time in Indiana. We are scheduled to land in Anchorage at approximately 7pm our time. I can't believe we are all really going - AMAZING! Thank the Lord for providing this opportunity.

Our Little Iron Chefs

Cari and Michael made this beautiful surprise snack for me. I think they realized that I was a little overwhelmed with preparations for the trip. I also think Michael was pretending that he was on the "Iron Chef"! It was delicious. Check out the spinach on the portabella mushroom. The presentation scores big! I would much rather have my children making a mess in the kitchen than rotting their brains with video games. Thank you Cari and Michael! Love you guys.

Map of Alaska

We are officially less than 2 weeks from leaving for Alaska!!! We will be flying into Anchorage and then driving north to Cantwell - where hopefully we can be of some help to our friends. You can see just how close we will be to Denali National Park - Famous for Mt. McKinley the highest peak in North America. What a view, huh?

Michael took this photo as well - he was wondering which one people liked the best - the 1st or the 2nd.

Insects Galore!

Michael took this picture of moths mating yesterday. Pretty cool, huh? It is all insects and photography these days. Self exploration and discovery are educational tools that we cannot underestimate. He is learning so much right now and becoming very observant. Our family stands in awe of our great Creator when we study His marvelous creation. Everywhere we turn we see His majesty and everyday it is something new.

4-H Projects

As we are quickly approaching our trip to Alaska, we are busy getting ready for 4-H. Two days after we return we have to begin turning in projects - so, as a result, all of the projects need to be completed before we leave! Argh! Michael is entering an insect collection for entomology... he is faithfully finding and pinning about 2 insects a day. He is doing an incredible job and learning a lot. I do wish we would have a 4 or 5 insect day soon so we could be done with it! John-John and Michael are busy snapping photos for a photography exhibit and Cari is working on a painting. I will tell you more about their adventures later.

Alaska - Here we come!

Right now, we are preparing for a trip to Alaska. The preparation seems to be consuming me at the moment, but I am trying to keep things in balance and still enjoy the next couple of weeks. We are doing a mini unit study on Alaska. We are studying about some of the interesting animals and the history of Alaska. John-John is reading Windsong by Gary Paulsen. Michael and Cari are reading Balto and the Great Race by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. We will have the opportunity to stay with some friends in Cantwell, AK who are Alaskan Native Americans. We are so excited to see them and their part of the world. Cantwell is located between Anchorage and Fairbanks. It is my hope that we will be able to keep up with this blog in order to share our experience with friends and family. Hopefully, it will be sort of a virtual field trip for others who cannot go there this summer. -Mari