Yesterday we went with some friends out to the Chena Hot Springs. They have a great indoor pool and some hot tubs. They are warmed by the natural hot springs in the area. But the best part is the hot springs outside.
If you can brave the walk (about 20 feet), you can get into some HOT water and enjoy the night air. Last night's fresh air was about -15 to -20 degrees.
The water was so warm that you needed to stand up to "air condition" yourself with the cold air.
The boys loved the hot springs and want to go back soon.
I could have stayed in there all day(or night, it is hard to tell the difference since it is so dark here again all the time!)
On Wednesday was the Base Christmas Party. We were able to visit with Santa. It was the first time this year which is a shame since we live so close to North Pole. The kids were all excited to tell him what they wanted this year for Christmas. Caleb wouldn't sit on his lap though, he just wanted to tell him without sitting there. Sorry the picture isn't great, but its all I'be got.
This morning was Caleb's Christmas concert. He was so excited to perform for us. Here he is in his drum part of the program.
This evening we went to Jake's Band/Orchestra concert. They did really well....for beginning band!!
Megan started taking ballet classes last month. She loves it. She loves to wear all the pink and the tutu.
Here she is doing a turn for us. I am not picture taking expert. Curtis would have captured it better.
Caleb and Megan loving the little puppy. They love little "Sqeaky" but go a little overboard petting her.
Caleb as Dr. Jones from the Temple of Doom. He keeps me laughing!!
Little puppy at 3 weeks old. She is getting so fun. She tried to bark the other day. She has started to try and play. She licks the kids' fingers which they find hilarious. 
On Saturday the little puppy turned 2 weeks. She has gotten so big. Her eyes are now open and she is climbing all over the place. She is cute. She has a home waiting for her in a couple of months. It makes me sad cause I'd like to keep her, but she will grow up, and I know I don't need another dog. Puppies are just so irresistible!
The little puppy is one week today. She(it's not a boy, so it must be a girl!) has grown. She is a bit fatter and longer. Her eyes are still closed, and she doesn't do much more than eat and sleep.
We are experiencing breeding for the first time. Bella, our female Maltese, gave birth to two girl puppies today (Nov. 7, 2009). One was born at 10:00 am and the other at 10:30. Unfortunately only one of the two survived. This is the one that survived. The children call her squeaks because of the little squeaky noises that she makes. It was a neat experience for the whole family to witness. 
She is a tiny, little thing that can fit in the palm of your hand. I would say about 5 in. long and maybe a half a pound. Not quite a "pound puppy". Ha Ha!
My friend Melissa teaches the Wilton Cake Decorating Course. She just finished teaching a group of us. I learned a lot but learned that I am not skilled enough for serious cake decorating. This was our last cake. I conquered the rose. So now all our kids will get roses on their birthday cakes whether they want them or not!
Happy Birthday to our little princess. She turned 3 yesterday. It is hard to believe. 
She had a Barbie cake. She LOVED it....she is 100 percent girl even with all these boys around.
We were all dressed up for the church Halloween party. The kids were able to trick or treat indoors considering that it was about 5 degrees last night!
Jake is on the swim team. On Friday they had a meet. Jake did well in his age group. He came in 2nd for back stroke, and 3rd on butterfly. His relay team came in 1st. They have 2 more meets of the season and are hoping to improve their times. 
Last weekend we went down to Anchorage. Unfortunately we didn't get a lot of pictures. I would like to say that this is a special mountain like Mt McKinley(Denali) but it's not! We went past Denali but didn't stop, we will this summer.
Curtis eating reindeer. Yummy! We told the kids that it was Rudolph. They didn't believe us.
We went to the Zoo. They didn't have many of the traditional animals because of the weather, but lots of Alaska animals. It was fun but cold.
We were able to do lots of other things in the big city(do we sound like country folk?) too. We went to the temple, to Chuck E. Cheese, the mall, Target(!!!), and an indoor water park. We had a great time. We are already looking forward to our next trip.
On Saturday we went the the annual Firefighter's Ball. It was a great time. The food was good and we got to boogie it some out on the dance floor.
We had our family pictures taken this fall...and I think they turned out fabulous. (Thanks Karla!)
