This is what your truck looks like when it isn't driven for 3 weeks and 

it snows a lot while your gone as well as sits through many, many days that were 20 below or more!

Alaska

11:00am

Cali lost a tooth. Here she is writing a letter asking the tooth fairy to leave her tooth and the note!

She also said her cheer coaches made her pull it out and it was very bloody! 

It's the sixth tooth she has lost!

Alaska

8:30pm

Daddy is home! The girls couldn't wait for him to get in the house. 

Alaska

1:15pm

*****Proceed as you wish...discussion of bodily functions ahead******

It was cold night. The girls and I decided to snuggle up on the couch together. Cassi and I were sitting there already but needed to make room for Cali and Cori. When I moved to make room for Cali I tooted.

Cassi started laughing, A LOT as you can see. I asked her what was so funny and she said between fits of giggles, "I've never heard you fart before!" Cori came in the room and started to scold Cassi telling her it really wasn't that funny then she paused and said "Come to think of it, I've never heard you fart before either." Which of course started a while new round of laughter from all of us!

Good times people, Good times here in the Holmes house!

Alaska

8:30pm

It got cold again so Cali and I decided we needed to get the fire going again.

Then we decided cooking hot dogs over the fire sounded like a great snack!

It's her favorite food- She gets it honest! 

Alaska

8:00pm

Cori has many friends. This is a large group of them. 

She is in the neon green jacket. Her boyfriend Brodi is to her left.

The guy in the front in blue is the guy she sang in the talent show with. 

That is where we took this picture.

Alaska

7:00pm

This past weekend Cassi's cheer team had a get together at one of the girls' house. 

This only about half of them!

She had a really good time.

They are a great group of kids!

Alaska

8:00pm

Everytime I work on crafts, NeeNee sees it as a time to get close and personal!

Alaska

3:00pm

I subbed for a playground duty today at Cali's school. 

This cracked me up, I guess there is no teeter-tottering in Alaska in January.

Oddly, shortly after I took this picture I looked back and 

there were about 10 kids trying to dig them out enough to use them. 

It didn't work.

Alaska

12:30pm

This is such a welcome site. 

Through the help of a friend we found someone to sell us firewood and 

our house is warm even though it's 27 below outside!

Alaska

1:00pm

It's been a year since we held our Taco Bar Dinner and silent Auction Fundraiser.
Here we are a year later and Cassi finds herself making announcements at the Grocery store again,
inviting customers to stop by and meet some hometown athletes
and support their efforts to travel to Nationals in Portland!
Cassi sold 15 tickets with GiGi's help!

Alaska

2:00pm

Cassi spent the day with Abbie. 

The were able to a little snowmachining which Cassi loved!

Alaska

2:00pm

Scott asked me to walk out to his connex to get some work boots that I need to mail to him. 

(He is still in Nome)

There is a lot of snow. I am not sure this picture does it justice...It's above my knees!

Alaska

11:30 am

The things I do...These are the bazillion loops I've cut so far from t-shirts to take into the middle school Friday craft class. Hopefully I will end up with enough that 15 girls will be able to make rugs from recycled t-shirts! 

Yay! Cool stuff right?

Alaska

11:30pm

Oh my gosh! 

I bought these pants at Wal-Mart. I never buy clothes at Wal-Mart!

It is so cold and these things are like a rug!

I find myself wanting to wear them all the time!

Alaska

9:00pm

This is our woodpile. 

We are down to nothing. 

I am hoping we find some soon, with the temperatures being so cold 

we need the extra heat to keep the house warm. Keep you fingers crossed for us!

Alaska

12:00pm

A house full of treat-lovin girls guarantees sprinkle donuts upon return from the donut shop.

Alaska

10:30am

Our road.

Reminds me of a watercolor painting.

Alaska

3:00pm

You may have heard about this on the news...

There is so much ice, the ships are having trouble getting through it to get gasoline to Nome, AK. 

This is just one of many troubles Alaska has endured due to the harsh winter this year. 

Scott happens to be in Nome at the moment and captured this picture this afternoon from the hospital where he is working.

I am sure seeing this ship breaking it's way through the ice is a bit of a comfort.

Alaska

3:00pm

Cassi and Cali made snow ice cream!

Lots of sugar but serious YUM!

Alaska

4:30pm

I took this through a fence as the moon was going down around 9:15 ish. 

I LOVE it!

Alaska

9:30am

Annie is growing so fast. She hasn't been over in a while and we've missed her. 

I tried telling Scott on the phone how much she's changed.

Now he can see it for himself.

Alaska

11:00am

Daddy looks out for us.
Being in a hurry the morning he was leaving there was little time to do last minute things. 

But we know how to roll with it. :)

Who needs a ladder when you can just pull your truck up to the door and step on the bumper. 

Alaska

8:00am

This winter has been really hard and unpredictable.

We were fortunate and very thankful that the roads were pretty good on our drive home from Anchorage.

Alaska

1:30pm

All of the girls had gift cards from Christmas.
We were in Anchorage so we went to the mall.

Cali had a LOT of money to spend at Build-a-Bear. Uggg. Every parent's dread. 

We tried very hard to talk her into clothes for bears she already owns but it was not to be.  

She came home with an armoire (that Mom had to put together) and Papa Smurf.  

Lugging it through the mall was no easy task.  :)
Alaska
3:30pm

Cori had ODP training this weekend. She is getting SO fast! 

I love to watch her run!

Alaska

12::30pm

As part of a Language Arts project Cori wrote to the FBI in Anchorage 

to inquire about future career opportunities.  

Today she received a wonderfully informative letter and package of information in response to her request. 

Here she is reading the letter to us. 

She is still rather uncertain it's really the career she wants but it was really neat to learn about it just the same.

Alaska

6:00pm

Our wood stove  is working overtime this winter. 

Every night we all make a trip outside to tote in some firewood.

With 5 of us in the family, we get a big enough pile to carry us through the next evening.

Here's hoping it gets warmer soon.

I'm tired of vacuuming up little bits of wood everyday.

Alaska

8:00pm

The girls received very cute little piggies from Marianne;
she brought them back from Germany.

When they first opened them we weren't really sure what they were, but thought they might be candy.

Cori, with her bottomless pit, decided she was going to eat it regardless. 

After a bite, she chickened out and decided she better wait to be sure. 

Turns out they were marzipan and were in fact edible. 

We sure have fun times and great friends who help make them happen. :)

Alaska

7:00pm

I am sure I've seen temperatures like this before but I really can't remember them.

I was rather shocked to see this on my weather app.

Who's coming to visit?

Alaska

12:13 am

We started the New Year off just right, playing games as a family.

This one is called Buck, Buck, Moose! and although it is not complicated at all, 

it was still very fun!

Alaska

4:00pm