Finally! I get to see Alaska!!!

We had been thinking about going camping with my cousin Randy and his dad and other friends but they decided that they couldn't this weekend so we decided to drive with Randy up to Fairbanks/ North Pole to stay with his dad for the weekend. I was exploding with excitement to see more of Alaska than just Anchorage (which is considered "almost Alaska" by most people up here). Friday we bought some pullups for Macy (who after some little set backs has been doing really well with potty training) so we could drive without worrying too much about stopping for potty breaks and loaded up the kids for the 5 1/2 hour drive up to Fairbanks. To say that the drive was beautiful would be a drastic understatement. I don't even know how to describe the beauty of Alaska to those who have never seen it, it is completely unlike any other place on Earth. I enjoyed driving through the little towns and seeing the prices of gas (up to $5.65 a gallon), the little cabins everywhere and how gorgeous the mountains and scenery are. The kids did really well on the drive with the exception of Macy's carsickness which errupted when we were about 15 minutes from our destiniation. I think the windy roads combined with the candy and cookies we kept giving her to keep her happy really back fired against us. Since our arrival she has really enjoyed all of the attention (but was there any doubt she would?).

This morning we went to the parade in Fairbanks for "Golden Days" and Macy loved seeing all of the floats and dogs. We loved holding Macy because the paraders were drawn to her so she was a candy magnet for us. Yes, I use my kids to get candy, wouldn't you?

We also went to watch the big duck race in the river. (Do you see how gorgeous this is???) Who knew it could be so fun to watch thousands of rubber ducks float down a river? I guess life is simple in Fairbanks. Randy bought a duck for our family so we are waiting for them to post the winners to see if we scored some serious cash, I will let you know if we win (which I am convinced we did). I have really liked Fairbanks which is only about 1/3 the size of Anchorage. If it wasn't for the devilishly cold winters (can you say "-45?") I would move here the first chance we got.

The kids were worn out after our morning of fun. I love how Kylie kept holding on to the balloon as we walked to the car after the race. There were both asleep in less than a minute after being put back into the stroller.

I will post more about our big trip later! I hope your weekends are half as fun as our has been!