Alaskan Vacation Part 1

Robert and I had the opportunity to go to Alaska! We took the opportunity without kids to have a lot of fun together and it was great to be able to laugh and enjoy our week. However, everywhere we went I thought about how much the kids would love everything we were seeing. I missed them a ton by the end of the week. They were in good hands though. 

We flew in to Anchorage, Alaska around 1:30 am, headed to the hotel to get a little sleep and then we were off adventuring. Our first stop was to rent bikes down by the Cook Inlet in Anchorage. The ride was 11 miles each way. It was so beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better. My legs burned and I could barely walk that night, but it was worth it. :)

The bald eagle was the animal we saw the most. They're magnificent. It looks small in the picture but it was over 5 feet tall. I spotted it flying and Robert was able to see where it landed. The kids were so excited that we got to see bald eagles, especially Claire.

 We did our best to take some pictures, but when you're riding a bike and there are only two of you it makes it difficult. 

 Timer and a picnic table. :)

 Some kind soul agreed to take a good picture of us when we were at the half way point of the trail.

Anchorage is in the background to the left.

After our loooong bike ride we walked around 4th Street and looked at the shops. We also tried reindeer hot dogs. Yes, they're a thing. The look on Robert's face should tell you how they taste. The city of Anchorage reminded us a lot of Albuquerque, where I grew up. In fact, Robert kept calling it Albuquerque the entire trip.

Vacation From Mom & Dad

While Robert and I went on a vacation, the kids all took turns staying with their Aunt Suzanne and with Grandma Linda. They had a great time in Palm Desert. We're so grateful that they would watch the kids. The kids loved their vacation from us. :) 

The big kids did an Apple Camp at the Apple Store. Bruce made a movie and Linda and Jane made books. Robert and I were able to see the finished product on their last day.

 Bruce's movie was cool. He used miniatures to create a movie.

 Jane's presentation was on sports.

 Linda's was on a story about a girl coming to the United States.

Claire did Shark Week camp at the gymnastics school.

They also went to a movie, the girls each did a gymnastics class, they were able to go swimming, and have a lot of fun.

They had a great time. 

Claire's 7th Birthday!

Claire turned 7 years old on July 9th. We had a fun party with some family and a couple friends to celebrate. Claire had such a fun time playing with everyone. She had an owl themed party. She loved each of her gifts and hugged me after the party and said, "Thanks for  great day, Mom." 

 They spelled her name wrong on the cake. :)

Linda headed up the fishing station. Jane was in charge of the kids jumping on the trampoline with balloons on it, and Claire was thrilled to finally have a pinata at her party!

We love Claire very much. She is a a happy person that finds joy in every situation. It's hard to believe that our youngest is 7!

4th of July

We had such a fun time over the 4th of July weekend. Including us, there were 15 people staying at our house. It was so fun. We had my mom here, Jill's family, and Suzanne's family. 

Bruce camped out on the trampoline with Brodey and Sayre.

 The rest of us had beds and air mattresses in the house.

We had fun playing at the beach on the 4th. We got there before the crowds got too bad.

We spent the afternoon at a park in San Marcos eating snacks and playing games while we waited for the fireworks. We made a lot of good memories. We love having family around.

Thompson Children 2015

Family Pictures 2015

We had some family pictures taken at the Oceanside Harbor. Here are some of our favorites.