Still catching up...

Grandma made fudge... Brock licked the spoon... needless to say, he liked it! Anytime he tries something new... I can't help but think of Frankie... who was always trying to get him to try things!
He often has peaches with grandpa! I would probably like peaches if someone skinned them for me!
Grandpa and Brock in the John Deere. He loves being on the lawn mower and the tractors. I am sure he will enjoy riding on them eventually as well but for no it's just sitting! He likes to steer them and he has found the horn on the Deere.
Grandpa is going to get a jump seat so that Brock can safely ride with him. Brock loves spending time with grandma and grandpa! He is really a Papa's chum!

Pictures from home

Brock got pretty good about pulling himself up and walking along the furniture. He has a ton of toys both at our house and at grandma's. When we first moved back to Michigan we stayed out at the farm until we got our house "Brock ready". We got new carpet, new bedroom and living room furniture. We finally moved into our house about 6 weeks after living with grandma and grandpa.
Here's Brock in his tote of toys. I knew those totes would come in handy again someday!
Brock and Aunt Patty sharing a drink in the midday sun. We had some good times with Aunt Tunie and her family. We sure do miss her and Uncle Mark! The picture below is out at Grandma C and Papa Joe's house. I just like the way it turned out so I included it. He loves his ice cubes but after Aunt Tunie's story... we don't do ice anymore!
Brock loves being outside! He loves the fresh air. This was the first time he was out "walking" in the grass. At first he wasn't too sure what to think but once he got used to the feel of it, he was on the move. (We love his Elmo outfit Auntie Watty!)

Last one before bed...

Grandma and Brock on the cruise. We had originally thought we were going to be able to meet Dan in Valdez and I was going to go flying... however, he didn't get there when he originally thought he would, so that plan is on hold for another year. It will happen one of these days Dan! :)
On the way from Valdez to Anchorage we had two flat tires and if that wasn't quite enough, stone chipped the windshield. Never ask if it can get any worse!
By the way, another milestone was reached the first evening we were on the road. Brock had been experimenting with the whole crawling thing... after sitting in the car from Anchorage to Fairbanks, he decided he could make it work. He was on a roll crawling all over the hotel room floor! This is a picture of the proud little guy that day.
Here is the sad little guy, realizing that our "Alaska Tour" had ended... no actually taken in mom's living room after we had made it back to Michigan. He wasn't happy and usually when we gave him the phone, it worked... well not this time.
It is necessary that I quit blogging for the night and get some sleep. I am not sure that Brock realizes that we CAN sleep in tomorrow... so just in case, I better get at least a couple of hours!
I'll post some summer pictures perhaps tomorrow evening!
night all.....

Pictures Continued

Grandma and Brock did some napping while on the road. While we were on the Riverboat Discovery, we were able to meet Jessie Royer. She ran the Iditarod in 2008 and we look forward to following her success as a musher. Brock liked her just fine but wasn't too keen on the dogs!
Poor little guy had no idea what to do... so he did what he knows... he cried! She was a great sport and his tears dried almost instantly... so all was well.
Mom and Mary Jane checking out the pipeline. Afterall, what is a trip to Alaska if you don't even see that???!!! This picture was taken about 10 miles north of Fairbanks. I do believe it is the same place that Gov. Palin just gave her speech! (By the way, she rocks) After our Fairbanks adventures, we headed south to Valdez! I love Valdez! I had a couple of things that were on the "needed to do" list. 1. visit the Eagle's Rest folks 2. Glacier cruise on the Lulu Belle! All was great with Laura and Jeff but Barb and Harv hadn't made it in yet so we missed them. The Lulu Belle had just scheduled her first tour of the season and we were onboard!
Mom and Mary Jane on the boat. We were on a glacier cruise but Captain Fred is more interested in finding whales, otters, puffins, seals, etc. That is exactly why I wanted to take them on this cruise. It was my third trip with him. By the way, we did see all the above mentioned!
Brock was fairly entertained with Sitka, his new eagle. It really wasn't the best day to be outside so we pretty much hung out inside the cabin but I think he enjoyed it. I know I did!

to be continued...

Pictures

When we first got into ANC, May 19th, we met Cynthia and Betty. It was so good to see them both! I love introducing Brock to all his "Aunties". We spent that day with the girls shopping and enjoying the company! The following day, we hit the road heading North!
Brock was entertained watching "The Wiggles" while mom, Mary Jane and I watched the scenery of Alaska. We saw some wildlife on our way to to Denali. It was a nice drive.
The four of us at Mt. McKinley. We didn't drive into the park... been there done that and probably will never bother to do it again. Patty and I took the bus tour (11 hours) and were not able to actually even see the mountain so needless to say... never again. The views from the roadside park were just beautiful. :) From Denali, we headed North to Fairbanks. We spent a few days up there playing tourist! We did the Riverboat Discovery, visited with Roger and Bob, went to see Santa Claus at the North Pole, and enjoyed our time!
Brock and I outside Santa's workshop. Brock was actually quite taken with the reindeer outside the shop. He also liked the sled, as you can see!
To be continued....

Finally - some news from Michigan

It's been forever, I know!
Mom and Mary Jane were in SMK with us until May 19th. We all flew out to ANC and spent the next ten days on the road. We had a blast while touring the state! I have lots of pictures that I will post later.
We flew back into Michigan May 28th. Brock and I stayed with mom and dad until we finished redoing our house. We have new carpets and new furniture now. We moved back home, much to the dismay of grandma and grandpa.
Patty was home for part of the summer. It was great spending time with her and her family. Brock does love his Aunt Tunie. She and Mark are still in Unalakleet and doing well. I am hoping that Brock and I will be able to visit them every year.
Auntie Jody came to visit us in July! It was so great seeing her. She brought her mom and managed to squeeze a little Tupperware party in while she was here. Miss you Jodes!!!
Brock continues to amaze and delight me! He took his first real steps July 23rd. He "experimented" for the next week or so and now, he is always on the go! It's so cute when he gets excited, he tries to run. He gets going so fast he usually ends up on his rear end.
Brock now has 8 teeth. He is working on getting his molars now. They really don't seem to be bothering him too much, hope it stays that way! He is usually such a happy go lucky little guy.
Oh wait, I guess he really isn't too little. I don't know for sure but I am guessing he is now about 32 inches and about 30 pounds. He doesn't like to stand still to be measured or weighed so until be goes back to the doctor, we just guess!
I started back to school 9-2. I was extremely fortunate to "fall" back into my position in Pickford. I am teaching 6th grade math and Special Education. I love it! It's so great to be back in the PHS halls. It is a bit strange coming back but all in all... it's going great. Things, of course, did not stay the same while I was gone so it's taking some time getting used to the new faces. Brock is staying with grandma and grandpa while I am working. He loves being out there. He still wakes up in a great mood and is usually quite lively by the time we get to their house. (3 1/2 miles) He enjoys the farm animals and the dogs at the house. It will be an adventure here in a few weeks as we will have a new litter of puppies coming. I can't wait to see his reaction to those!
I promise to put some pictures up within the week. It's just crazy finding time to do some of those things. If I have the computer on while Brock is awake, he is trying to use it.... lol I am sure he will be a computer geek... and as long as it brings him happiness... go for it!
Ok, back to matters at hand - work.
Have a great day! And a word to my AK peeps... Miss you all lots!