Alaska Guyers - It's a Wonderful Life

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2011-08-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

Hiking in Girdwood

2011-08-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hiking in the rain

2011-08-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Fun times at the SeaLife Center in Seward

2011-08-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU MURPHY for teachomg me how to swim this summer!!!

2011-08-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

HAPPY CAMPERS rain or shine

2011-08-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

Fishermen!!

2011-08-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

MAYOR'S HALF-MARATHON

2011-06-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

SWIMMING LESSONS

2011-06-20T09:35:00.001-07:00

Ringing the bell after passing a level!!!

Run for Women

2011-06-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

KENAI FJORDS

2011-06-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous day for a boat trip!

2011-06-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

Thing 1, Thing 2 and Thing 3????

2011-06-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

BNL CONCERT

2011-06-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

The Bare Nakes Ladies!

TWILIGHT 12K - Another great race

2011-06-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

7.5 miles at an average pace of 8 minutes 28 seconds per mile!
That's pretty fast for an old girl like me!!

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IN HOMER

2011-06-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

FIRST GRADE FIELD TRIP TO Eagle River Nature Center

2011-05-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

TRAILSIDE TRIATHLON

2011-05-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

FIELD DAY

2011-05-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

DUCKLINGS FROM SCHOOL!!

2011-05-03T15:59:00.000-07:00

YOUNG PILOTS

2011-05-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day

2011-05-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

As mother's Day approaches a few thoughts come to mind

My Mother is a woman that I am proud of. She has taught me so much and I am grateful for her presence in my life. Here is just a tiny view of her influence on me.

My Mother taught me to put family first. She always considered others before herself, especially when it came to family. She would always give us the best of everything we had even if that was not much. She would take the strawberry with the bruise and give us the good ones, she would give us the last piece of anything and take none for herself, she would give us the last sip of water even though she herself was parched. Mom was selfless. I try to follow her example but rarely am I as successful.

My Mother was thrifty. She never spent too much money on anything. She made things from scratch, sewed our clothes, mended what was broken, created Halloween costumes rather than purchasing them, hung clothes on a line to dry, made a game out of an empty spool of thread and some leftover buttons, and grew an enormous garden, spending hours preserving everything so her family would have fresh vegetables through the winter. My thumb will never be as green as hers, although I try to spend wisely, as she has taught me.

My Mother kept our humble home clean, even if that meant getting down on her hands and knees. She is not afraid to scrub what needs scrubbing, get behind the fridge, move the bookcase and find every last dust bunny. My housekeeping skills keep my home clean and I thank my Mom for showing me how it's done.

My Mother is tough. She can withstand great heartache, moving her family across the country multiple times, job changes, new business ventures, canoe trips with toddlers, rebellious teenagers and so much more I will never know. What I do know is that she protected her children from so much and held it together because she is a tough, strong woman.

My Mother is soft at heart. She handmade toys that we fell in love with. A toy she made sure made it into her purse before a long trip so when we cried for forgetting it at home, she would pull it out to our great relief. She held a wash cloth on our foreheads while we threw up in the middle of the night. She came with cough syrup in the wee hours when we needed it. She gently brushed all the knots out of my long hair and took the time to braid it before school. She always fixed the bumps and bruises and knew how to sooth a fat lip. She would lay with me as I tried to fall asleep for an afternoon nap, rocking ever so gently. She just took care of us. Thank you Mom for teaching me how to care so deeply.

To my Mother: I love you with all my heart and I thank you for teaching me how to get through life with grace, dignity and strength. For the woman I have become and the woman I strive to be I thank you for all you've taught me and continue to teach me.

Your Daughter

IDITAROD 2011

2011-03-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

End of the Season Jamboree

2011-03-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

Quinn had a great hockey season!

State Tournament

2011-02-27T21:27:00.000-08:00

Two wins, one loss, great weekend!

Scientist of the Week

2010-11-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

Mitchell is explaining the poster he made about himself, the Scientist this week at school

He carries out his experiement with his classmates.

Can you catch an ice cube in a cup of water with a piece of string and a little salt?

Way to go Mitchell!

Halloween Fun

2010-11-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

Summit and Murphy

2010-11-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

Cross-Country Jamboree

2010-11-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

So pround of Quinn

Ah, the reward!

Dogs

2010-09-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

“No animal I know of can consistently be more of a friend and companion than a dog.”

Family Camp

2010-09-24T23:48:00.000-07:00

Did the kids even notice that it rained all weekend?

My Awesome Alaskan Family

2010-09-24T23:45:00.000-07:00

One of our final trips to Flattop in search of blueberries

Another Half-Marathon!!

2010-08-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

Last race of the season for me!! Official results: Skinny Raven Half Marathon = 13.1 miles, completed in 2 hours and 3 minutes, 18th out of 83 in my age group and 145 out of 664 women overall! Must say I am quite pleased with that!! Oh yeah and did I mention that I had just gotten off a plane at 2am and caught about 3 hours of sleep before the run!! Yes, I am insane!

CANADA TRIP

2010-08-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

Lots of time near the water made the heat of Southern Ontario bearable! The whole family had a great time and enjoyed getting a little sun, during this summer of record breaking rain in Alaska.

TORONTO

2010-08-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

The CN Tower!

AFRICAN LION SAFARI!!

2010-08-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

NIAGARA FALLS - THE CANADIAN SIDE!

2010-08-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

Hot, Humid and almost unbearable!

MIDNIGHT SUN BIBLE CAMP

2010-07-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

Camp Buddies!

2010-07-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

Quinn and Bret were able to attend camp again this year as "tag-a-longs".

They had a great time but were becoming delirious by the last day!

Waterballons, Watermelon and Icy water!!

2010-07-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

Silly Songs at the Campfire

2010-07-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

2010-07-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

Brrrrrrrrrr!

"MINI" Mount Marathon

2010-07-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

JULY 4th CAMPING TRIP TO SEWARD

2010-07-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

Mayor's Half-Marathon

2010-06-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

13.1 miles!!

Mary and I are still smiling after all those hills!!!

Half Marathon

2010-06-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Mayor's Midnight Sun Half-marathon Official results:
13.1 miles; 2hrs 2mins; 199 out of 838 women; 23 out of 92 in my age group; great race - my best time for a half! Now recovery which = Advil, hot bath, sleep and good food!

It's the morning after the run and the legs are REALLY mad at me!! What should I expect ... I did run 13.1 miles. Wonder how the full marathoners feel?

THANK YOU CANADIAN SOLDIERS

2010-06-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

2010-06-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

The Memorial Day weekend Homer camping trip 2010 was one of the best trips to Homer we've ever had. The weather was perfect, the seas were calm, the sea stars were plentiful, the s'mores were sticky, the Halibut were caught, and the kids were covered in dirt and totally exhausted!

Happy Dogs

2010-06-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

2010-06-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

Homer memories will last forever

2010-06-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

Sea stars and sunshine

2010-06-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

More Sea Stars and More Sunshine

QUINN'S FAT LIP

2010-05-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

Quinn took a wipe out on the playground last night and here are the results! Luckily no teeth were lost in the fall, no stitches were needed, just lots and lots of TLC!

DUCKILINGS

2010-05-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

Lab torture!

Salmon Release 2010

2010-05-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

Mitchell's 2nd grade class had a field trip to the creek to release the salmon they have been growing all year.

SCOTT'S HOCKEY CLASS 2010

2010-05-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

Scott took a class this year at UAA (the University of Alaska) to tune up his hockey skills.

He has greatly improved over the past year but still has a long way to go before he catches Mitchell and Quinn on the ice!

Where is he? Back row, middle, white jersey!

ZOO RUN MAY 1st, 2010

2010-05-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Racers are ready!

Run Quinn run!

Here comes Mitchell

Proud Runners!

What is that behind them? Why yes it is SNOW!!!!!!!!

FRONT TEETH

2010-04-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

Mitchell had an accident on a playground when he was 3 and broke a front tooth, which later resulted in both front teeth being extracted. For 3 years and 3 months Mitchell has been without his two front teeth.

It was cause for celebration the day those permanent teeth finally emerged. Mitchell was excited to truly bite into an apple and with gusto he did. The following pictures say it all!

TWO FABULOUS BOYS

2010-04-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

HOCKEY TOURNAMENT

2010-04-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

The MAC ATTACK hockey tournament! After 6 games in 4 days, our team made it to the championship game. They didn't take home the winning trophy but making it to the final game was VICTORY for our players!

SUMMIT

2010-04-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

Oh look how I've grown!

I like it when Mitchell reads to me!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY QUINN

2010-03-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

At Quinn's Birthday party they all painted ceramic monkey magnets, played in the basement, ate spaghetti and meatballs and of course, ate birthday cake. Scott did it again with another birthday cake masterpiece and created an amazing "jungle cake"!

2010-03-13T16:27:00.000-08:00

Summit's new best friend Murphy came to play and Summit was worn out for hours!

2010-03-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

What a good looking dog!

The boys love Summit!

SKI 4 KIDS

2010-02-27T18:08:00.000-08:00

Racers are READY

And they're off

Coming down the home stretch and to the finish line

The announcer said over the loud speaker,

"Here come Mitchell and Quinn Guyer, the Guyer boys, to the finish line".

"Gold" Medals received!!!!

Racers are ready to get warm and have hot chocolate!

Puppy Love

2010-02-25T15:23:00.000-08:00

Mitchell and Quinn just LOVE Sumitt!

Fun in the new snow

Downhill

2010-02-25T15:20:00.000-08:00

Mitchell and Quinn go downhill skiing for the first time.

They had a great day and they were both very good at it. Now they'll have to teach Mom!

WELCOME SUMMIT

2010-02-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

Summit joins our family on February 14th, 2010.

My favorite kind of Valentine "chocolate".

Getting comfy in his new home

It's been a long day! All the way from Seattle!

New Family Addition

2010-01-17T17:45:00.000-08:00

In February we will be adding a little chocolate lab to the Guyer family.

Here he is at 4-weeks old.

Aloha and Happy New Year

2010-01-17T17:42:00.000-08:00

2010-01-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

Almost to China!

Mitchell and Quinn with the guys

Mitchell and Quinn with the girls!

2010-01-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

The Cousins!

2010-01-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

2009-09-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

Living in Alaska really is like that TV show "Northern Exposure".

Yes this would be our front yard!

HOCKEY SEASON IS HERE!

2009-09-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Family Camp 2009 - In They Go!

2009-09-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

How is it that kids can be shivering beyond control and still say that they are NOT cold?

2009-09-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

Ready, Set, GO!!

2009-09-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

2009-09-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

Oh how this makes Daddy so happy to see his boys enjoying fishing on the lake! Quinn caught such a big pike that it scared him and he was a little afraid to catch anything else.

2009-09-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Off they go on another fishing adventure

Another Family Camp filled with great memories

comes to a close at Midnight Sun Bible Camp!!!

Ah how wonderful life is!

THE ALASKA STATE FAIR

2009-09-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

Hot weather and SHAVE ICE!!!!!

Watching the reptile show complete with snakes, lizards and turtles. It was heaven for the boys!

On to seal rescue at the SeaLife Center display. Insert feeding tube, reach stomach, see green light flash.....successful rescue feeding! For some reason it was very thrilling to insert the feeding tube down the seal's throat!

2009-09-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

What's a Fair without petting some farm animals?

FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

2009-08-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

Quinn is looking all grown up as he prepares to go

to his first day of Kindergarten

Lunch packed, supplies ready, backpack on!!

Big brother assures him Kindergarten will be lots of fun!

FIRST DAY OF 2nd GRADE!!

2009-08-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Mitchell was very ready to start back to school

But he sure is going to miss his little brother

BEARS, BEARS, BEARS, BEARS!!!!

2009-08-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

So, did I mention that we saw a few bears on The Russian River last week? Well, they were a little too close for comfort considering it was me and a friend with our 4 kids in toe. There were screams of "bear! bear! bear!" and then we saw him emerge from the woods. A black lab was tied to a log nearby and was going crazy. That didn't amuse the bear and so the bear thought he'd take care of that dog. Bear approached, dog barks louder, and louder and louder (probably thinking "someone untie me there's a bear going to eat me"). I truly thought I was going to see a grizzly eat a lab right before my eyes. Then BOOM!!! Lab owner fires a warning shot and the bear runs off. But where? Into the woods right beside the boardwalk where my friend and the kids are. Yikes, off the boardwalk and onto a rocky island for safety. Eyes now wide as dinner plates continually scanning the woods as we are prepared to wrestle any grizzly that dares come close to our little boys! There's one walking up river, we're safe. Then 2 more come into the river between our safe little island and the boardwalk (the way out). He sits in the river and has a light lunch of salmon sushi right in front of us. Head lifts, eyes stare directly at us and the yummy morsels we call our children. We flee our "island of safety" and head down river. We are now in a safe area and see 2 more bears nice and far away. We decide that there has been enough adrenaline pulsing through our veins to last us a very long time and so hop on the ferry to get home. The guys hiked back through the bear zone to get the car!

Wild times in ALASKA!

Junior Park Rangers!!!

2009-08-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

While at the information center for the Kenai Fjords National Park in Seward, Mitchell and Quinn became official "JUNIOR PARK RANGERS". They worked hard on their activity books and Mitchell even interviewed a Park Ranger. Then they stated the oath, right hands raised of course, that they would take care of the land and protect our environment. After that they were officially "sworn in" as Junior Park Rangers and received their badges!

They were so proud!

The SeaLife Center! Seward, Alaska

2009-08-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

The "touch tank" was the most interesting part of the SeaLife center. Lots of wonderful creatures to actually touch!

Another Fantastic Trip to Seward

2009-08-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

Who are these handsome guys?

2009-08-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

BLUEBERRY PICKING

2009-08-08T09:48:00.000-07:00

Ready to pick berries on flattop

Quinn was a real pro

Yes, Quinn is laying down in the blueberries, picking and eating

Mitchell busted!! Aren't those berries supposed to go in the bucket?

2009-08-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

The BOYS!

Hiking along Turnagain arm.

HIKING DAY

2009-08-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Like any good field naturalist, Mitchell brought his notebook

to sketch all his interesting findings during our hike.

Boys, they need nothing more than being set free in the woods for a full day of fun!

FISH ON!

2009-08-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

Midnight Sun Bible Camp!

2009-07-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

Mitchell's first time at Bible Camp!

He spent a week canoeing, tubing, swimming, paddle boating, playing games, learning more about the Bible, staying up late and eating way too much candy.

Much to my surprise and GREAT DELIGHT we had a week of warm 70 degree weather with cloudless skies and happy campers.

Camp friends

The water balloon fight!

Happy, happy, happy!

Little brothers!

2009-07-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

The younger brothers came to camp too and they earned the nicknames "swinger 1" and "swinger 2" as a result of their favorite activity!

By the end of the week, our two little boys that had become best camp friends.

2009-07-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Campers

Another successful Homer fishing trip!

2009-07-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

MY BOYS!

OH BABY!!!

Fun at the Homer playground!

2009-07-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

They have completely lost their minds!

SOCCER 2009

2009-05-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

Mitchell and Quinn are playing soccer for the first time this summer. So far they already LOVE it. Mitchell has natural ability in the area of athletics (just like his Dad) and soccer is no exception. Quinn is having a great time but we'll just have to wait and see how his abilities develop over the summer.

Boys in Action!

2009-05-30T09:10:00.000-07:00