Karl and Angela Rees

Compared to the previous week, we didn’t do a whole lot.  But relative to most other weeks, we were busy.  Thomas has enjoyed being home again and back on more of a fixed schedule.  Upon arrival he said “Home! Home! Home! Home!  read more »

As many of you know, we spent last week on an Alaskan Cruise with Karl’s parents.  Accordingly, Angela spent the week before last making all sorts of preparations for the trip, while Karl worked long hours getting all an application done in time for the trip.   We had the missionaries over for dinner, and we also put in an offer on a house, but it looks like the offer wasn’t accepted, so we won’t bore you with those details.  read more »

Sadly, the cruise had to end. But there was still fun to be had with Karl's sister Susan and her friend Summer in Seattle. We went to the stop of the Space Needle, watched boats at the Ballard Locks, and ate more yummy food.

Update (11/15): Added video!

On our last day of the cruise, Sept. 17, we spent a lot of time at open sea. But we stopped in the evening at Victoria, British Columbia and had a quick tour. And Thomas got a Canada stamp on his passport.

Update (11/15): Added video!

On the sixth day of our Alaskan cruise, Sept. 17, we stopped in Ketchikan. During our short walking tour of Ketchikan, we encountered totem poles, jumping salmon, Crick Street, and a lot of rain.

Update (11/15): Added video!

On our fifth day, we stopped in Sitka. We kayaked around the Sitka Sound (minus Thomas, of course--Karl's parents watched him while we went out, and then we let them have a turn--can you believe Karl's mom went kayaking?!?). Then we walked to the Raptor center and saw eagles and other birds being rehabilitated.

Update (11/15): Added video!

On our fourth day, Sept. 14, we cruised Glacier Bay National Park. It was foggy all morning, but Mother Nature decided to be nice to us by the time we reached the glaciers. The sun even came out for a little while, making the Polar Bear swim challenge a little less challenging for Karl and his dad.

Update (11/15): Added video!

We spent the third day of our Alaskan Cruise, Sept. 14, in Juneau. It rained all day, and both we and our cameras were completely soaked afterwards, but we had great success whale watching. Plus, we saw the Mendenhall Glacier and a black bear. Karl chased for 5 minutes trying to get a good picture!

Update (11/15): Added video!

Pictures from our Seattle departure on Sept. 12 and open sea cruising on Sept. 13.

Update (11/15): Added video!

We took a cruise to Alaska with Thomas and Karl's parents onboard Holland America's ms Amsterdam from Sept. 12 to Sept. 19, 2008. We departed from Alaska, and stopped in Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria. We enjoyed such activities as whale watching, glacier cruising, kayaking, celebrating Angela's, eagle and bear spotting, showering in the rain, and chasing Thomas all around the ship while listening to everyone comment on how cute he is. Then, we hung out in Seattle with Karl's sister Susan for a day.

Karl worked from home on Labor Day because the office building had the air conditioning off. Around lunch time we went to look at 2 homes. The first looked nice on the outside, but there was just too much to be done to the inside. The second home, we liked a lot. It was walking distance to work and to Wayne and Rebecca’s. It had hardwood floors in all rooms except bathroom, kitchen, and add-on room. The home would need a little work such as floors refurnished, a bathtub installed, appliances and a door to the garage. We don’t know that we care for the paint either.  read more »

Here are some pictures of us at the beach with Angela's parents. There are 2 other pictures of Thomas during the week.

Angela made some banana bread on Monday.  Thomas was able to try a little on Monday and Tuesday.  Wednesday, he must thought he deserved some more.  He reached up to the table, pulled down the bread, unwrapped the foil, and carried it to Mommy.  At first, Angela worried that maybe he had climbed onto the table, but instead he stood on his tippy toes and reached (blindly, since he’s shorter than the table) his little heart out.  He must really have wanted it.  read more »