First snow

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we headed up to the mountains. Tiff found a great deal on some cottages at the Tamarak resort. We decided to retreat with out families together with no agenda beyond relaxing and enjoying the first snow that had fallen for the season.

The kids played outside as much as we would let them. They played ARMY and road their sleds into the sand traps out on the golf course.

Abby and Uncle Brendan turn the sled into a snowboard

 The kids had plenty to do and slept well each night we were there.  Due to budget cuts, the schools were out the entire week of Thanksgiving this year.  After this nice, long, relaxing weekend it felt as though we were truly on a vacation and ready for Thanksgiving.

We all enjoyed the patio hot tubs.  It was a great way to relax and thaw after being outside. 

Happy Halloween

Our kids had an eventful Halloween. We first took them to a party hosted by one of Lisa's good friend's place. There they played games, which included worm races (the kids had to propel real worms down a race-track), and gathered up lost of goodies.

We then proceeded directly to Aunt Tiff's for a Halloween feast and a for trick-or-treating through her neighborhood. The Kinnamans were safely escorted by Batman and Batgirl, also known as Dylan and Makena.

Carving Pumpkins

Although Halloween is my least favorite of Holidays, we cut loose and carved up some pumkins. It is fun doing projects together...

...especially when the kids do all of their own slimey, seed scooping.

Yellow(stone) Fever

Ryan and his Epa have been dreaming of touring Yellowstone National Park together. In October, Lisa made their wish come true, as she arranged for the three of them to take a four-day weekend adventure together.

Ryan hit the major highlights between Boise and the Park including Craters of the Moon Natl. Park, Old Faithful, Mammoth Spring, Canyon Falls, boiling mud pits, and sighting much wildlife. The most impressive to him were the GIGANTIC elk which were bugeling.

It was a great time for the three of them to build memories that will last forever... each of them got to check off an item on their bucket lists.

The Great Hunters

This summer Robbyn planned a campus-wide scavenger hunt, for all the grand kids, on NNU's campus. The dorm setting has provided an array of fun times for the kids from mattress surfing on the stairs to the basement, to riding bikes and scooters through the empty halls when the dorm is closed for holiday seasons, to numerous parties in various dorm lobbies.

Ema has the biggest and most exciting house of all, and this time the whole campus served as the backyard for a scavenger hunt!

The kids followed a series of clues all around campus and ended up at the volleyball court where there was a marker with each of their names.

Epa was riding his bike like mad across campus, staying one step ahead of the kids as he hid the clues and buried the treasure.

They had to dig their box of "treasure" out of the sand, and all were quite excited with the contents: stickers, feathers, coins, candy, magnets, etc. The event was a hit!

Three Amigos

School is back in session. All three of our kids go to Pioneer Elementary now. Abby is in Kindergarten, Will is in second grade, Ryan the fourth grade.

This is new for us. All three kids together, lookin out for one another.

Mariners Baseball

Ryan and I stole away from camp Friday night to catch the Mariners game, up in Seattle. We had a great time together, experiencing alittle "man-time" watching the Ms paste the Royals, and enjoying the sights and sounds of Safco Field.

Black Lake Bonanza

Lisa has four very close friends from her high school days at Nampa Christian. Summer, Jerusha, and Missie have all stayed in contact with each other through college, marriage, over-seas residence, child rearing, and career pursuits. Their company has always been a comfort to one another.

Jerusha's husband, Greg, is the program director at Black Lake Bible Camp in Olympia, WA. The four friends decided that they wanted their kids to get to know one another better, so they took their families to BLBC, and shared the days together while the kids had a ball in the day camp. Everyone was pleased with their experience... especially the moms, who enjoyed the time to catch up and relax in fellowship with one another.

The 11 kids made for fast friends and had a blast running as a little pack throughout the camp.  This may become a tradition.

The Last Frontier - Finale

Our last days in Nikiski were cool and wet... but good.  

We spent time down on the beach and in the water fishing with the family, followed by relaxing times of fellowship.  

Ryan picked the 36 lb. King Salmon from the net.

 

 The kids enjoyed the relaxed schedule and the opportunity and freedom to play.  

 It was a simple existence and one that these Kinnamans needed more than we had realized.  

 It was sad to leave our friends behind when it was time for us to return.  We are grateful for the opportunity to have seen some place new. 

We finally saw moose while we were leaving for the airport in Anchorage.

 But we are even more thankful for the encouragement and rest that we received from simply spending time with friends.  

 We came away from out Alaska adventure truly blessed.