Hugs for Dwight!

We screamed and yelled and waved frantically! I don't know who was more excited to see him, the adults, or the three little boys who eagerly waited for him to climb the steps so they could hug him!

Here they come!

After a flight delay and then waiting for over an hour, the moment finally arrived. The doors opened and they started filing in one at a time. You could only imagine how hard it must have been for family members to have to hold back and not go rushing up to greet them. It was only after the official ceremonies were over that the soldiers were released to reunite with their loved ones.

A Soldier's Homecoming

On November 11, 2007, the long awaited day arrived. Our dear friend, Dwight Martin, was coming home from his fourteen month deployment in Iraq. One little boy was especially excited. His nightly prayer was for God to keep Dwight safe and bring him home soon. God heard that little voice and answered his prayer, and what a joyful reunion it was!

The anticipation was high, as we made the welcome home signs, and drove the icy highway to Fort Richardson to witness the arrival of 371 soldiers returning home. It was truly an experience never to be forgotten!

The Beach at Ocean Shores, WA

The beaches around Anchorage have very dangerous mud flats. If you want to go beach combing or looking for treasures, you have to go to Seward or Homer. Ben really looked forward to going to a real sandy beach, complete with seashells with his cousin, Daisha. They had a blast running from the incoming water, digging in the sand, and looking for sand dollars!

Port Angeles, WA

Uncle Steve and Aunt Kitty invited us over to their beautiful new home for dinner. We feasted on salmon, halibut, shrimp and fabulous desserts...yum! Ben introduce Uncle Steve to his hero Lightning McQueen from the Disney movie, Cars. We even managed to make it to the end of the movie before a few wrestling and tickling sessions ensued involving Uncle Tim, Uncle Steve and Cousin Cody!

Sequim, WA

At the time of our visit Sequim, WA was hosting it's annual lavendar festival. We had fun walking through the fields and gathering the fragrant stems. After that we went to the Olympic Game Farm where Ben proudly got slobbered on by many curious beasts!

Port Townsend, WA

After visiting Uncle Steve and Aunt Kitty in Port Angeles, we stopped off in Port Townsend to see the beautiful old Victorian homes. Here are some of Lisa's dream homes... and one of them is for sale!

Summer Vacation in Washington

For the second year in a row, Lisa and Ben have spent two weeks in Washington visiting family. One of the highlights this summer included our trip to the desert (who knew!?) to see the Grand Coulee Dam. We enjoyed the lazer-light show that explained the history of the dam. The kids got to see how much electricity they could crank up in the visitor's center. The photo shown here is taken from up near Aunt Terry and Uncle Lenard's property.

Introducing... Kaladhi

The Peckham family has a new doggie addition. Kaladhi came to us in pretty bad condition and in need of lots of TLC. After major surgery she is a new dog! She is a beautiful brindle pitbull-sharpei. She has an endless supply of energy and surprisingly has bonded with our older dog, Penny-11yrs. When the two of them get too rough, Scout comes in as referee. She has settled in very happily and has even taken over our bed!

Lake Recreation

While waiting for Daddy to come back with the boat, Ben decided that he would just do a little wading. He went out further, and further, and before he knew it, the water was over the tops of his boots. Oh, Well! If you're this wet why not go all the way! Later, Lori took the boys for a canoe ride and they all wanted to go swimming. We had them strip down to their undies...are those not the cutest little knobby knees you've ever seen?!

Family Camp

The close of summer is celebrated over Labor Day weekend at our congregations Midnight Sun Bible Camp. It is a time for families to get together for a weekend of fun, food, and fellowship. It was also a fun time for Ben who got to take rides in Daddy's Zodiac and a canoe.

July 4th 2007

Every year on July 4th, the town of Seward is host to the Mt. Marathon race. Runners see how fast they can run to the top of the mountain and back down again... hopefully in one piece. A tamer version of the race is the Mini-Mt. Marathon for the little ones. Having already run in the Zoo Fun Run, Ben was ready to get started in his second race of the season. Maybe staying up until midnight to watch the fireworks wasn't the best idea. He was pretty tired and lacked some of the enthusiasm of his previous race, but it was still fun.

Fun in the Sun!

On the bluffs above the town of Homer, is a wonderful playground. It is also a haven for dandylions. I am sorry to say that Ben did his fair share of scattering the "blowies", as he calls them, to the far winds.

Budding Mechanic?

Boat trailer need a tune-up? Who you gonna call? I know of three little boys who are experts at wielding wrenches and very eager to help!

Water Fun!

Papa and Grandma Melba came to visit in June and brought the sunshine with them. We had two weeks of fabulous weather while they were here! Ben had fun playing in the sprinkler with his buddies.

Memorial Day Memories

Camping on the Homer Spit has now become a four-year tradition during the Memorial Day Weekend each May. The Peckham family camps out on the spit with the Guyer's and Stanley's. This year we were joined by the Hewlett's and Shanara Cresswell. A wonderful time was had by all, whether it was fishing, riding bikes, roasting the perfect s'more, throwing rock after rock in the ocean, swimming (Brrrr! Dogs only! We think that it must be therapeudic!) or just simply enjoying the amazing scenery! I'm sure it must have been quite a sight to see Lori and I herding our entourage of three little boys and five dogs down to the beach!

Happy Third Birthday!

The theme for Ben's third birthday was his all-time favorite movie Car's. Eighteen very special guests came over to help us celebrate. Everyone ate lots of hamburgers and hotdogs. The kids had fun playing in Ben's new sandbox that Daddy made for him. Afterwards, we sang "Happy Birthday!" as Ben blew out the candles on his cake, complete with a race-track on top!

The Race is On!

On May 5, 2007, Benjamin participated in the Alaska Zoo Kid's Fun Run. His buddy, Quinn, ran with him in the 3 year old Arctic Fox Trot. Ben wanted to wear his "Lightning McQueen" shirt under his zoo shirt since Lightning is FAST! He trained for the race by running with our dogs in the front yard.

Easter

Easter in Alaska usually means hunting for eggs indoors because of snow. We gathered at the home of the Guyer's for the yearly hunt. Eggs and treats were hidden in every nook and cranny possible while the eager hunters waited downstairs. After a successful hunt they happily gathered on the sofa and proceeded to devour all of their goodies as fast as possible! Yum!

Ben seems to have a big dislike of adults dressed up in animal costumes, especially bunny costumes, so we've given up trying to have his picture taken with the Easter Bunny. However, we did manage to get him to pose in the Easter sweater mommy made for him.