BOYCEFAM

OUT OF PRIMARY!!! AHHHHHHH!!!

2010-02-28T13:29:00.006-07:00

So my oldest, Thatcher, just graduated from Primary today and I bawled as I watched him up there getting sang to by all the kids for the last time. Then he chose Army of Helaman as his favorite song and I couldn't even sing :( I'm not ready for him to grow up.

KENNEDY'S BDAY

2010-02-03T20:58:00.012-07:00

Making her cake!

This would be what she chose as her favorite food!

The guests!

The gifts!

What she bought with her money from grandparents!

SHE'S SUCH A PRINCESS!

Trip Home

2009-11-12T12:12:00.008-07:00

LIFE is so crazy right now with nursing school and being a single mom (we miss you Skip). I think about blogging just about everyday but never get around to it. I should be studying for a pharmacology test at the moment but that is just boring! So here we go! This post is all the pics from mine and the kids' trip home from Alaska clear back at the end of July. I know it's all old news, but this is the only way I get my pics of anything out of the files on my desktop!

We hitched a ride to Anchorage with Skips dad and step mom in the motorhome, stopped along the way to see some cool wood carvings, hung out at the airports in Anchorage and Seattle WAY to long, and the kids loved their first time on an airplane (except Thatcher; when he was 1!). The trip home was definately a lot shorter than the trip there!

In the motorhome. This is the way to travel!

Eating at the Chili's in the Anchorage airport after we somehow made it through securtiy. It was not an easy task by myself and four kids!

We had a 6 hour lay-over in Seattle. I stared out the window, fighting sleep, from midnight to 6am so that I could make sure the kids were alright. It was a long night to say the least!

The crew members on Alaska Airlines were great! On the first flight they gave us all the left over movie players and extra snacks. We were in the very back of the plane hanging out with the stewardesses and the kids were fabulous! The second flight Parker, Kennedy, and I all got to fly first class. Thatcher and Hailey were in the first row of business class so I could just turn around and see them but they were a little jealous!! They definately earned their wings!

CLAMMING!

2009-08-19T11:22:00.009-06:00

So I know this is a little out of order, but I didn't get these pics from my dad until the other day and I wanted to post them. This was at the very beggining of our summer in Alaska while my dad was with us. The clam tide was really good and so we headed out to go camping in Ninilchik and get some clams. It was about the coldest day of the whole summer and Skip and I are the only ones who actually ended up even digging for the clams.

We walked the kids all the way out to where we were going just to turn around and bring them right back, crying the whole way about being cold!
Then they sat in they trailer trying to defrost!

Skip digging for a clam. You really have to get into the mud up to your armpit to get them!

Us coming back with our catch! We were SOOOO dirty!

Aren't they ugly little suckers!

Just a little video of that day.

We Will Miss You Winsors!

2009-08-04T10:48:00.012-06:00

Lindsay and Wes are officially on their way to Alabama today. I am so sad to see them go but hope they have a wonderful adventure at the same time. Good luck in law school Wes!

Since Lindsay was leaving we decided that we needed to get some pics as sisters (mom is like a sister!). I love my sisters and mom. I am so grateful that we all get along so well and that they are there for me whenever I need them!

Lindsay moving truck was parked outside so we couldn't resist!

Ty and Charlene's new car made for a great prop (and it's fun to drive too!).

Halibut Fishing In Homer, AK

2009-07-23T16:12:00.019-06:00

Here are a bunch of pics from our fishing trip in Homer. It was an AMAZING experience. We caught tons of fish and the highlight of the day was the 140 lb. halibut that we got. It is huge, as you can see in the pictures. Tanner, a 13 year old that was with us, hooked it. He and I worked on reeling it in until we couldn't do it any more. Then Skip brought him in the rest of the way. It was crazy because as soon as it got to the boat the captain shot it in the head so that it wouldn't tear up the boat or knock someone out! CRAZY!! We caught 4 different kinds of fish and had a buffet of all 4 a day later. It was yummy! The best part is that we caught our fish for the year in a day!

The ride out was 3 hours. We saw lots of beautiful scenery and slept some!

There were a bunch of sea lions on this island. We also saw otters and seals on the ride out.

I caught this yellow-eyed rock fish, which I guess is pretty rare.

It is a pretty creepy looking fish!

When the captain was fileting one of the halibut he found this crab inside!

Measuring the 140 pounder!

These are the lips of the 140 pounder!

These are just the fish that were the biggest. We actually caught a lot more!

Great Outdoors Backyard!

2009-07-13T12:48:00.013-06:00

So we are staying in Skips backyard where he grew up and it is awsome. His dad owns some acerage behind the house that is just pure woods. It goes forever with no houses. In fact it is so thick that when we decided to go exploring through it the other day we had to take a machette to cut a trail! It was a little hard for the kids so we didn't get very far but Skip and I are going to venture out some more on our own once we get a chance.

This is a view from the house.
Here is Skip trying to site in the pellet gun in case there is a bear! Or a squirrel!
Starting out! You can see our trailer set up in the background and Skips dads house behind the truck.
This is Skip cutting the trail.
Kennedy with her walking stick! She didn't get much use out of it cause I actually had to carry her most of the time.
This stump was really cool so we had the girls pose on it!

We got to pick and eat fresh blueberries.
And cranberries too!

This is a fungus that grows on the trees. People cut these off, paint on them, and sell them. If you can imagine Parker, he has collected 7 of these things, 500 rocks, 40 sticks, etc.!

So needless to say, our kids have a blast playing in the yard!

Fun Family Night

2009-06-30T11:43:00.005-06:00

Yesterday we jumped in the truck just to go run an errand and ended up having a great night. First of all, we have no t.v. service so the kids have been watching movies and they have watched every movie we have several times. So Skip decided that we should go to the Bargain Basement to find some cheap used movies for the kids. Now, I love the D.I. and can spend many hours there, but the Bargain Basement is amazing. Seriously, I wish my mom and sisters were here to dig through that place with me because there are some treasures in that place. Unlike the D.I., it is not very picked over. I found this old chest that I know wouldn't have lasted one minute in St. George. Unfortunately, I don't have room to buy up the place or I would have! Anyway, after we left there, we were driving down the road and the Peninsula Oilers baseball team mascot was out on the street advertising a game for the night. We thought it might be fun because we miss hanging out with Tyler and Charlene at the Road Runner games so Skip pulled up the info on his phone to see how much it cost and it was free admission for the night. We were really excited and decided we better hurry and get there cause it would probably be pretty busy. After a quick run through McDonalds drive thru, we made it to the field and to my surpise there weren't a million people there. Come to find out every night is free admission except Tuesday 2 for 1! We did have a fun time. Kennedy loved the mascot even though we can't figure out what the heck it is, Hailey got a broken bat, and the people watching here is always interesting! I am sad to say that I didn't have my camera so these pics are just lame!

Hailey with her bat.

Does anyone know what the heck this is? I think it is supposed to be some kind of bird but who knows!

Subsistence Fishing

2009-06-23T16:30:00.019-06:00

So we got back from our camping trip yesterday and I finally have good enough internet to post some pics. The whole experience was just amazing and something that not very many people get to experience. Skip's dad was able to get all of the Salmon that they will need for the year.

I'm glad that we got the chance to be there.

Here are the nets that have just been pulled out of the water.

This time there were over 60 fish in the net.

I wanted the kids in a pic with the fish but had to threaten them to make sure they didn't touch anything. I guess it would be a fine for us and the people fishing which would not be good!

Everyone pulling the fish out of the nets.
Then they get washed in the ocean and stuck in the bins.

Then on to the tables for fileting.

This is Skips dad fileting the fish right there on the beach. This is the part Skip wished he really could have helped with because he has done this a million times in his life and is really good at it!

It was especially hard because it was J.J's first time and Skip couldn't even teach him.

Skip watching on the sidelines!Me watching on the sidelines trying to stay warm.

Don't you think I am starting to look like an eskimo? This is where all the left over fish guts, heads, and tails end up. I wish I would have taken a picture of it on the last day cause it was completely full and disgusting!

This was a fish tail that a French chef cooked over the fire for us.

It doesn't get any fresher than this!

It was delicious!

I just thought this was hillarious watching this guy try to fly this huge kite with a fishing pole! ONLY IN ALASKA!

This is Skip, and the other guy we were camping with, fishing at the Kasilof river for Salmon. This spot was about a ten minute walk from where we were camping.

Here are the kids watching with their safety glasses on. Aren't they cute!

Day at the Beach

2009-06-23T15:33:00.010-06:00

It is so awsome here. I feel like I am in the highest mountain tops with all the beautiful greenery but the ocean is just 2 minutes away from us at all times. This day was about the nicest day since we have been here and so we decided to go beach combing. I would guess that it was somewhere around 70 degrees which is amazing, and even better, the wind wasn't blowing! There were people laying out in their bikinis which I thought was a little crazy but they don't know any better! Anyway, we had a fun time.

2009-06-20T13:10:00.004-06:00

I was just looking at the newspaper up here and it has a story about the fishing that we are out here watching Skips dad do. I thought that I would just put the link on here in case anyone wanted to read it! Maybe it isn't all that interesting to you all but I have some way cool pics from this fishing experience to post once we are done camping. It has been hard because it is a lot of work once they pull all the fish in and we can't even touch anything to do with it because we are not residents.
So here's the link: http://peninsulaclarion.com/stories/061909/fis_352883025.shtml

Also, Skip is working at the dock as a longshoreman. Well, there was a boat that sunk back in January and his work has been helping the divers that are working on the recovery stuff load their boat. Kinda cool, and also in the paper, so here is the link to that story: http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/061409/new_352411074.shtml

2009-06-08T12:26:00.007-06:00

I just wanted to post a couple of fun videos I have taken in the last 2 weeks. It is so awsome here and we are having a great time. It's beautiful and even the weather has been great lately. Yesterday was a scorching 70 degrees which is almost a record high!

This mom bear was right next to our truck with her two baby bears. I think she got a little spooked!

She sent the babies running up the hill.

These baby moose were just a quarter mile away from where we are living. Notice the business in the background. It is crazy to just see the moose right in town.

2009-05-29T23:51:00.006-06:00

Well, we are officially Alaskans for the next 2 months! We made it to Nikiski at about 2 am Tuesday morning and it was awsome to finally see my hubby! I missed him sooooo much, 7 weeks apart is way too long. The drive up was an amazing experience and I am glad that I got the chance to do it. We saw some of the most beautiful scenery and tons of animals, the kids especially loved the baby bears we saw. Here are some pics that we got along the way.

This was called the Sign Forest in Watson Lake, Canada. It was crazy how many signs were there. It truly was a forest!

That guy in the picture is pointing to Alaska!

Me and the girls shared a bed at the motels each night so they slept REAL close together!

ON OUR WAY!

2009-05-24T00:01:00.003-06:00

Just a little update for ya all. We have been on the road since Friday morning at 8 am. We drove 873 miles and stayed the night at Great Falls, MT yesterday, at the nastiest motel. Then we crossed the Canadian border this morning (well technically yesterday morning cause it is midnight!). We drove today for 15 hours and only got 853 miles. We are staying at the nastiest motel in cute little Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Tomorrow we get right onto the Alaskan highway and have 1700 miles left to get to our home away from home. I will post pics and more details later! We are having a blast and the kids are being awsome little travelers!

North to Alaska

2009-05-17T10:23:00.006-06:00

So, about my first post back in July 2008, I have to take back my comment about "North to Alaska, never gonna happen!" cause here we come! Skip has been there now for over 5 weeks and the kids and I are joining him soon. Hopefully it will only be for the summer but I am not going to say that plans can't change. I am going to try to keep everyone updated on our trip by being better at blogging! We'll see what happens. Me, my dad, and the kids are taking off on the almost 3500 mile drive next week. It is going to be 60 hours of drive time and I hope that I am ready for it. Be prepared for some amazing pics of scenery and wildlife! I know you are all jealous!

Sleepy Kennedy

2008-07-19T00:22:00.003-06:00

THE ZOO!

2008-07-18T23:34:00.000-06:00

Father's Day 2007

2008-07-18T23:33:00.001-06:00

Funny video from youtube!

2008-07-18T23:13:00.001-06:00

2008-07-18T21:33:00.001-06:00

Everyone is doing it....blogging that is!!!

I just had to try it out and I am really having

a fun time messing around with this.

Hope you all enjoy!