Mail Call!

Today was finally the day!  A week or so ago the box from Alaska arrived and I have been chomping at the bit to actually open it.  I mean, it's not every day that we get mail from Alaska!  A google map search today turned up the fact that to drive from here to Fairbanks where the box came from would take 64 hours!  (Google also informed me the route had tolls and ran through Canada so I would need a passport, hehehe)  I'm thinking as much fun as we're having celebrating Alaska that's not a road trip I see us making anytime soon.

Anyway, we are so grateful to Grant's fraternity brother, Carl and his wife, Monica, for sending us the package from Alaska!  It was full of great stuff - you'll have to check out the pictures below to see what I mean.

I got to go to OLS and help out in Kayla's class this morning.  It was tons of fun - and really relaxed considering it consisted of 13 3 and 4 year olds all in one place for nearly 3 hours.  We played in the gym, worked on nursery rhymes and even had a birthday celebration for one of the kiddos.  I enjoy my mornings there and I know it means a lot to Kayla.

Tomorrow we're going to be building igloos!  Okay, indoor igloos made out of marshmallows, but still!  And in the morning Kayla and I are going to make some Alaskan Lodge Cookies.  Should be fun!  Until then...

Alaska Fun Fact of the Day:  Alaska is a geographical marvel.  When a scale map of Alaska is superimposed on a map of the 48 lower states, Alaska extends from coast to coast.  (Check it out here!)

 As a treat, I got the Bean McD's for lunch today because I was so impressed with how she did at the doctor's yesterday.  It was a great surprise and let me remind her again how proud of her I was

 I got packages today!  I love mail

 The return postcards that Grant designed for us arrived today.  I am THRILLED with them!  So if you help us with our project, watch your mailbox for one of these from the kiddos :)

 I ordered this the other day, can't wait to put it to good use

 The contents of our Alaska package - a stuffed moose, a book on if Alaskans live in igloos and a gorgeous picture book on the Northern Lights.  Carl and Monica also included their Christmas letters from the past 3 years which were full of their Alaskan adventures and pictures.  My deepest thanks to them - they really brought to life Alaska for the kiddos tonight

 This is our mascot for the week.  We named him Kodiak

 Checking out the Northern Lights

 We put our letters on Alaska to add it to our "We've Been There" wall

Hmmm, so no Gatchel's have been to Alaska. Bummer