Baby Jamie and Pony Ride
We had very exciting news last week when my best friend Kathryn had her baby! She had a beautiful baby boy named Jamie William Menpes, he was in a hurry and arrived at exactly 37 weeks. Kathryn has taken to motherhood like a pro and they are loving their new addition. Now if I could only pop over for a visit! I will have to make do with phone calls and photos in the meantime. Here he is with his two very proud and happy parents.
Paul, Isla and I got an opportunity to try out a new business in town on Saturday. We went for a horse and carriage ride around the water and through town. It was very relaxing and you get to see a lot going that speed. Isla also enjoyed having time to point out and name everything she saw, ‘dog, bike, house, car, truck, etc, etc!’
Gone are the days when Isla automatically smiled for the camera. Now she is more interested in trying to get hold of it so she can turn it on and try taking photos.
Love April, Paul, Isla and Lime xxx
Troop Lake
Paul, Isla and I walked out to Troop Lake this morning. Here are a few photos from our walk. Paul tried a spot of fishing while we were there, we saw a few little ones jumping but no nibbles on the line. 
In Isla news, she has perfected the classic toddler scowl- we really need to get it on camera since it is too funny. She is using new words everyday and is very keen on action songs, particular favorites are ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes’ and ‘The wheels on the bus.’ It is very tricky for her to put her hands on her shoulders though, she really has to think about that one! She is also very keen on tickling and being tickled. She will often pull up our shirt to ‘tickle, tickle’ and will request tickles and where she would like to be tickled, e.g. ‘tickle neck.’ This afternoon she pulled up my shirt and put a sticker on my belly and told me it was for the baby! I’m sure the baby appreciated it!
I have been back to work for a week and children come back for their first day on Tuesday. I have a ton of things to do tomorrow before that happens but I’m feeling confident that it will all be done by Tuesday morning! Paul and I are anticipating a busy first month back since he will still be working six days a week at Seward Information as well as taking care of Isla.
Hope everyone is well, Love April, Paul, Isla and Lime xxx
Seven Months!
Aug. 17th 2010
Aug. 2010
Lime is seven months old today! Very exciting and we feel like the count down is on! Here are a few photos of us taken today and we also reenacted my last seven month photo for comparison purposes. If you are curious about how they compare go back to the archives from August 2008.
The reenactment, the cat even co-operated and got in the background of this shot too!
We finally had a sunny day after apparently 31 days straight of rain!! Naturally we had it on my second day back to work, but we made the most of it and went out to dinner at our favorite sunny weather spot. Here are Paul and Isla enjoying the sunshine.
Love April, Paul, Isla and Lime xxx
Isla Baking
Isla is an enthusiastic helper when I am cooking or baking. She is always interested and generally follows instructions carefully, but there have been a few hands in the flour incidences! Here she is stirring some brownie.
This is probably why she enjoys helping so much!
One more day of holiday for me and then back to work. Paul and I put up the new baby crib today and finished clearing out what was the office and will soon be the baby room. I have already painted it, got the clothes cleaned and ready and organized the shelves and so I am pleased to be heading back to work with the baby’s room pretty much ready to go.
Have a great week!
Love April, Paul, Isla and Lime xxx
New Lime Photos!
On Monday we had to go to Anchorage for another ultrasound. On our 20 week scan they thought there might have been something wrong with Lime’s heart. So they wanted to have a closer look when the baby was a little bigger. Turned out Lime is just fine and everything looks as it should. We were very glad to have another look at the baby and it sure looked like it was happy and cozy in there. So here are some photos of our baby at nearly 27 weeks.
This photo of Lime (above) shows it with its little forearm by its mouth and the other thing you can see next to it is actually a little foot! We have a few photos where its little foot is right next to its head. Doesn’t seem all that comfortable to me!
Comprehension
Isla is at an interesting age where she comprehends a lot of what is said to her but takes everything completely literally. For example when I was changing the sheets she asked what the pillow cases were for. I told her they go on the pillows. So while I finished putting on the sheets I noticed her busily getting the pillow cases and laying them carefully on top of the pillows!
Also recently we were drawing a card for Rachel’s birthday and I suggested she draw a picture of the cat. This suggestion was met with much enthusiastic head nodding and ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’, I didn’t realize why until she jumped up with a pen and attempted to draw a picture on the cat!
Lack of Updates
Sorry about the lack of updates. The website is playing up and we have been unable to put up any new photos 
Paul is working on it so hopefully we will get it sorted. Disappointing, especially since we have some new photos of Lime to put up from last Friday’s scan. Plus I have a million photos from our trip to NZ to put up and then all the photos since we have been back in Alaska.
Trip over to NZ
These are some photos that I couldn’t upload while I was in New Zealand.
Isla having a final nap at the hotel before we headed to the airport for our flight to Auckland.
Enjoying her favorite pastime on the plane, buckling the seatbelt.
Home!
Isla and I made it safely home, arriving into Anchorage late on Thursday night. We had a much more difficult journey on the way home. On the way over we had a bassinet seat, spare seats either side of us, surrounded by baby friendly people and had helpful and attentive air stewards. Basically the way back was the complete opposite! The flight from Auckland to San Fransisco (13 hours) was completely packed and so Isla really was a lap child all the way, no bassinet this time! Luckily she went to sleep on the flight nearly immediately- even before the meal was served- and slept pretty much continually for the next 9-10 hours I think. It was a touch tricky eating my dinner with one hand but easier that than having Isla awake while I tried to eat! When she was awake she was fairly content to play with the seat belt, read her books and play with her baby doll but not having any extra room made it more difficult. We had a night in San Fransisco which was great and we had lovely swims in the hotel pool the afternoon we arrived and the morning we left.
Flight to Anchorage was TERRIBLE. It was two hours delayed so by the time we got on Isla was over tired and cranky. She was asleep in the baby carrier by the time I boarded the plane and may have gone straight back to sleep but we were seated in a row with another toddler so as soon as she spotted her she was wide awake and keen to socialize. So for the next four and a half hours Isla was awake and busy. Not content to sit still and not willing to sleep while there was someone her size to talk to. This was made worse by a very grumpy old man sitting in front of me who made it very clear he did not appreciate having a small child behind him. So you can imagine our delight when we arrived in Anchorage only to be told no gate was available so we would be sitting on the tarmac for the next 35 minutes. The only redeeming thing about the flight was the two little girls were very cute together, despite being unable to say much they were able to communicate very well and seemed to have no trouble understanding the others baby talk.
I have lots of photos and updating overdue from our trip to New Zealand and I will get that done sometime soon.
Isla and I are still adjusting to being back on Alaskan time but hopefully we will get caught up soon.
Love April, Paul, Isla and Lime
Weekend up North
I have just returned from a weekend in Anchorage. Saturday I attended the first meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Forrest Service Resource Advisory Board of which I am now a member. The meeting took all day but then headed back to Anchorage, walked into town and bought a few new work shirts and had a great meal at Ginger all by my lonesome. This morning I drove down to Hope for a rafting trip of Six Mile creek. The river has been too high lately to run but this trip was the second day in a month that the water had receded to just at the minimum safe level. The rapids were quick and big with lots of holes to fall into and walls to crash against. We did both but all managed to stay in the raft, some of the others went swimming unintentionally. Now back in Seward and ready for the week. Just weeded the gardens and planed the seed potato. Yesterday I was very sorry to hear that Aprils Grandmother fell and broke her hip while visiting the farm in Nz. I hope that the surgery goes well and that she heals up well enough to be the same grand lady that she is. Paul
