Busy Weekend!

We leave on our month long vacation in just five days!! We spent this weekend doing odds and ends around the house so we are ready to head out.

Saturday we were outside all morning. Matt was siliconing our new windows and I loaded up the camper. Cavan slept in his little peapod tent that we just bought. Hunter played in his and ran around like a mad man in the yard.

Sleepy baby in his tent:


These little tents are great! They keep the bugs and sun off and your kid is contained:


Happy Hunter and his squirrel!


Matt getting ready to head up the ladder again. He got 7 of the 9 new windows done! The other two are really high and he absolutely hates heights. I think we will find someone else to do them for us.


Sunday afternoon was spent baking! I made 5 dozen cinnamon buns and 21 open road sandwiches (think huge buns filled with moose burger, cheese, and veggies).


Yummy!!


Cavan was a dream baby this weekend. Here he is chillin' on his fancy baby mat- a towel!


Hunter eating lunch with his pup and squirrel in tow!!

Mr. Pissy Pants

Here is Cavan at 2 months old, of course pissy in his car seat:


I have been telling everyone that Cavan is huge, and here is proof! Here is a picture of Hunter from November 2007, 5 months old, in the same outfit!

Please Join Us For A BBQ!!

Hey Everyone!

We always find it so hard to get out to see everyone that we want to when we are back home. So we figure since we are driving 2000km south, those who want to visit can make a short drive to come and see us! Or a longer one if you are feeling adventurous and are farther away!

You are all invited out to a BBQ at my parents place on Tuesday July 21st from 2pm until 11pm. Bring your swimsuit and towel to enjoy the pool. Hotdogs and snacks will be provided, just bring your own drinks.

For directions or any other info, please just send me an email!

kara underscore went at hotmail dot com

We hope to see you there!

Two!

The boy turned two today! When did he change from a 7lb 6oz screaming, puking, pooing baby to a 28lb screaming, puking, pooing boy?

In his two years he has seen three Territories and two Provinces, been on 26 different planes, logged about 400km by quad and 50km by skidoo, spent 18 night camping, ate 5lbs of cat hair, watched the Cars movie about 50 times (in the last three months- thanks a lot Tina!), taken the tires off of 20 dinky cars, picked enough dandelions to make a batch of syrup, eaten a dozen rocks, said the word "car" a gazillion times, .... My gosh, this kid has accomplished a lot in his two years! And those are just off the top of my head. I wonder what the next two years will be like!

Hunter had a great day for his birthday! I made his second favorite breakfast, french toast, since I was out of oil to make his favorite, pancakes. He then got to watch his movie, Cars. After that we went to playgroup with cupcakes in tow. He played his little heart out and scarfed three mini cupcakes. Next we took him to the restaurant for lunch for his favorite meal- french fries! Then he had a super duper meltdown where he screamed for an hour and a half while I tried to get him to nap. I won and he napped for an hour. After nap time we went to the pool for splashing fun. Finally the day was rounded out by supper with his favorite family in town and cupcakes and cake for dessert. What a busy, wonderful day.

And some videos to show today's fun:


Two!


Happy Birthday!

Health Centre Fun!

My kids love going to the health centre, and not just because Daddy works there! They are spoiled rotten at the health centre. Last week we went to a potluck lunch there, this week a chocolate fondue. Hunter feels right at home there and will hop right up onto the beds to let Matt poke and prod him with the gadgets. We figure it will help in the future if he ever gets sick and a nurse really needs to do those things. I walk through the door and barely see my kids.

At the end of last week I had an appointment for myself. The Nurse in Charge nabbed Cavan as soon as I walked into the HC. I peeked into her office at one point and there she is typing on her computer and the baby slung over her shoulder. Adorable! Then as I was trying to leave the HC, I see the nurse, the receptionist and the visiting doctor all giggling in the back. I peek around and they were taking picture of Cavan with this mitten that had animals on the fingers.

I got these on my email this week:

Check out how big Cavan is! I cannot believe he is just two months. He is already wearing his six month clothing.


So cute!

Hunter on the Trampoline

Fathers Day Fun

For Father's Day today, I made Matt a three tier homemade chocolate cake. He is a chocolate addict, so it was perfect for him! Of course I had help... Here is Hunter with the spoon I gave him to lick. I have no clue how such a little bit of batter could make such a huge mess!


What a kid!


He also assisted in the decorating of the cake. Can you see the finger scoop marks?


The grin of a happy father!


Hunter was up again at 5am today. He and Matt napped from 10 to noon, so this evening he was getting pretty exhausted. Here is he trying to take a little cat nap in my chair. We ousted him to keep him awake! Poor guy!


Super husband working his magic on mr. cranky pants during witching hour:


Hunter reading his book:


Out for our evening stroll around the block:


My boys!


And I am finally getting Hunter to do a real grin for the pictures instead of his squishy face. What a cute kid we have:

Happy Fathers Day!

People continually ask me how I have the time to do activities such as make dandelion syrup, or keep my house clean (yes mom and dad, my house is actually very clean!).

Well the reason for this is because I have the most amazing husband on the face of the planet. He is a devoted dad who loves spending time with his boys. Matt is the one who puts Hunter to bed every night, walks with Cavan to calm him down during his witching hour in the evening, cleans up the super pukes and the explosive poos. He has no problem taking Hunter for hours so I can have a break, especially in the evening after a busy day. His idea of a fun day is packing up the wife and kids on the quads to go exploring.

He is a wonderful husband who vacuums the floor for me most mornings and usually does all of the laundry so I will have more time to play with the kids during the day. While I pick rose petals, he entertains our boys in the bush. And most importantly, he keeps my hair-brained ideas in check. Most of the time... I did convince him to move to Nunavut before!

He is a true family man which I think is the most manly job a guy can have. Happy Fathers day to the best dad and husband. We love you!

Our Vacation Plans

We are leaving in two weeks for a month of traveling around two territories and two provinces! Here are our dates and travel plans, so let us know if any of you want to get together:

Leave Faro, YT on July 3rd

Camping Liard Hot Springs night of the 4th

In Fort Nelson, BC on the 5th to 7th

Hay River, NT on the 8th (or 9th) until the 13th
7th- Supper at Matt K's.
8th- Wings (since I cannot get the baby to take a bottle, do the girls want to go out first, and then the guys go out after so a sitter does not have to be tortured by my kids?)

Parents Place 50km outside of Dawson Creek, BC 15th to 23rd.
- family reunion on the weekend (18th/19th)
- we do have a lot of shopping to do in Grande Prairie, but we are thinking of having an afternoon bbq at my parents place if anyone wants to come out and see us. It is too hard to get around to see everyone there!

Francis Lake, YT 26th to August 1st
- camping with my folks and brothers family



We are super excited to head out! Hope to see a lot of you on our travels!

Hair

The boy wanted some of my hair goo, so I had fun with it!

Good Thing They Are Cute...

Because otherwise I would sell them on the black market!

Today was the worst day. Hunter was acting up all day. I know he was in need of my attention, but it was one of those days where it was hard to give. He spent the day digging up my plant, throwing toys, pushing/hitting other kids, scratching/kicking Cavan, spitting, terrorizing the cats, etc. I found myself getting so frustrated with him and all he got from me was negative attention.

But tomorrow is another day and here's hoping it is a better one!

Time Out Kiteh....

Neglected!

Check out how neglected Tweak and Freak are:


They have turned to each other for support. Or they are plotting to kill us.

Giveaway over at Northern Mama

Head on over the Northern Mama to enter yourself in for a new giveaway. You get a chance to win a gorgeous cowl/headband!

My boys

Random Pictures

Here are some random pictures from the last couple of weeks:

Matt with Mr. Chunky. Notice the X-ring?


Up close of Mr. Chunky. He is already 13lbs at 7 weeks!


Veggin' on the side of the pool while I was swimming with Hunter:


The Boy doing some off roading with his dump truck while Matt tries to find our yard:


Hunter in my summer amouti. The pouch is so big on it!

Happy Blogoversary To Me!

This month I am celebrating my third blogoversary! Over those three years I posted 137 posts from Kugluktuk and 321 posts from Faro.

Never in my life have I managed to keep a journal longer than a couple of months and that was forced by evil English teachers. Now, here I am at three years of having an online journal and still loving it.

Sure, there are days where I really wish I could post what I am really thinking (today being one of them!), but in order to keep the peace my blog is light and fluffy. But somehow that fluff still attracts a couple hundred viewers a day. Not sure why... I have horrible grammar and spelling (right Megan?) and I just go on and on about my kids!

Through this blog I have met, in person and online, numerous friends. The Northern Blogging Community is the best encouragement to continue writing here.

Thanks everyone for reading! And especially those of you who leave comments. It is nice to hear from all of you.

Flour

Hey Mom... Let me help you clean up that flour you spilled on the table. How about I lick it up for you!

I Have Started A Revolution!!

A wildcraft revolution!!

Since mentioning I was making dandelion syrup and rose petal jelly on here and facebook, people have been bombarding me with questions! I love it!

So far, two friends are in the middle of making their dandelion syrup. A woman here in Faro was making rose petal syrup today. And Sarah, The Yukon Musher up in Dawson, is going to try her hand at the rose petal jelly too!

If you are trying this too let me know how it goes! And feel free to ask me questions.

I had a problem with three of four batches of my rose petal jelly, so I called the jelly making trouble hotline! Yes, there is such a thing! I used powered pectin for those three batches and they went cloudy and a bit gritty. The woman on the hotline told me I can re-boil, add some liquid pectin and throw them into the jars again. Spiffy! If you are using the recipe I linked on my other post, use the liquid pectin (certo) instead. So I am going to do that tomorrow. Tonight I have another double batch of dandelion syrup on the stove almost ready to be bottled.

Fish Release

Wednesday evening was rather eventful! We started the evening by attending the first Fire Side Chat of the season. The Chat is held at the Campbell Region Interpretive Centre. Hotdogs, marshmallows and ice cream are provided and the community is invited to come down, eat, and visit! Splendid times and we are looking forward to the next one.

Hunter trying out a cone to transport the icecream to his mouth:


It was a hit!!


Then we headed 12km out of town to FishEye Lake to participate in releasing some nice baby trout!

On the shore of the lake:


Becoming brave enough to go into the lake:


Happy Toes!


Come on! Let me play with the fish already!!!!


Hunters newest sport: Dirt Swimming!


Telling me all about his fish:


Giving the fish a pep talk before their big adventure:


Cavan was there too!


Matt and his new little man:

Rose Petal Jelly!

Today my wonderful husband spent a lot of the day managing the kids while I got to make something new! I am a serious hunter/gatherer. I think I would much rather stay home gathering plant products and shooting moose versus having a real job!

My project today: Rose Petal Jelly

We went quadding and I picked 8 cups of petals in about an hour. They are so fragrant and beautiful, yet so damn prickly!


Next step is to grind them up a little in the blender:


In the pot ready to boil:


I have two batches on the go here. Look what happens once it boils; the colour is gone from the leaves:


On the right is the rose petal jelly. I made 10 quarter pints today. On the left is my dandelion syrup. I made 7 half pints today! Very productive and fun day! Now to deck them out pretty and put them up for sale.



Recipe that I followed can be found here:

http://www.rose-works.com/rose-petal-jelly.html