Wrapping it up...

Hi everyone!  Sorry it has taken us so long to get our last "thank you post" posted!  We've had so much fun writing and answering your questions.

This post goes our to Grandpa and Nana...

Question:  What was one of your favorite memories from our Hawaii trip?

Alyssa:  One of my favorite memories was the whale watching trip Katy and I went on with Grandpa and Nana.  One of the best parts was when the humpback whale went under the boat and then came up and showed it's fluke. It was REALLY COOL...well...if there were actually a word to describe the feeling, then it would mean awesome and cool combined!  You could clearly see the shape of the whale under the water and all of the scraps and scratches on its body.  AMAZING!  The whole thing was just really cool...the sound of the blow before it dove kind of reminded me of our dolphin at the encounter as we were swimming with it.  On the trip we also had dolphins swim alongside the boat as it left the harbor.  It was incredible!

Katy:  I LOVED going on the whale watching trip!!!  When we pulled out of the harbor we saw dolphins swimming along side us!  We saw like 10 whales (that might be over-exaggerating, but that's what it felt like...maybe it was more like 6 or 7) and a couple of them swam under our boat!  It was so cool to see the water reflecting off the black and white patterns on their bodies.  Watching the whales breach was MESMERIZING!!!  When we were close to the docks on the way back, a pod of spinner dolphins came up and swam by us.  They were leaping in the wake of the boat's waves.  It was amazing to be there and see everything, but the best part was spending time with Grandpa and Nana!

Thanks again for tuning in to all of our "thank you blog posts" this March of Dimes fundraising season!

Bye!

Catching up...

Hi everyone!  It's been a CRAZY BUSY couple of weeks and it doesn't seem like things are going to slow down until school is out!  YIKES!

This blog post goes out to "Mr. Anonymous", The Peterson's, Ms. Helen, and The Pekala's.  Thank you all for your March of Dimes donations!

Question #1: What do you think you might like to do for a living when you grow up?

Alyssa:  I would like to be a biologist...so I can study animals and plants.  Perhaps with what I learn I can help save endangered species.  It would also be a plus to be a biologist since my friend Sarah would like to be a veterinarian and we could help each other keep animals healthy and happy.

Katy: I want to be a marine biologist.  For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to work with marine wildlife.  I think it would be cool to do what I've always wanted to do and help the animals that live in the ocean.  One of my goals is to help clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.  It is responsible for killing thousands...or at least I think its thousands...of ocean animals each year.  Look it up!  It's crazy!

Question #2: What are you most looking forward to on your upcoming Alaska trip?

Alyssa: I am really looking forward to going to the Alaska Zoo and seeing all the animals up close...especially the foxes. I am also really excited to go on nature walks and see moose when we are out and about.  I would love to see twin moose babies!

Katy:  Probably going to the Alaska Zoo and hiking.  I would like to be out in the wilderness and I hope to see a beaver lodge or two...they are so cool!  At the Alaska Zoo I'm most looking forward to seeing the wolves.

Question #3: What are you most looking forward to in 7th grade?

Alyssa: I am looking forward to my exploratory classes including Greek Mythology.  I really enjoyed reading the Heroes of Olympus and Percy Jackson book series and I think it will be fun and interesting to learn more about the Greeks and their beliefs.

Katy:  I'm looking forward to meeting more incredible teachers!  Also, I am SO LOOKING FORWARD to percussion having their own class period next year!!!!!!!  We won't have to wait for the entire band to tune and we'll have more time to focus on our technique.  I'm also hoping to take Jazz Band so I can rock some "sick beats"!

Question #4: If you could be student at Hogwarts, what house would you be sorted into and why?  Also, what do you think your patronus would be and why?  One more...which Harry Potter book is your favorite?

Alyssa: I think I would be a Gryffindor because I am brave, adventurous, and very loyal to my friends and family.  My patronus would be a fox because I am smart, curious, teeny, and can sometimes be a little mischievous.  I have NO IDEA which is my favorite!  I love them ALL!

Katy:  Definitely Gryffindor!!!!  I'm brave, loyal, and adventurous.  Also, I'm kind, caring, and I'd do anything (well not "anything", but you know what I mean) to help my friends if they were in need!  I hope my patronus would be either a wolf, dolphin or cheetah.  Mostly I would choose any of those because they are my favorite animals.  Oh my goodness!  How do I choose THAT...it's IMPOSSIBLE to pick a favorite book!  The Order of the Phoenix is my favorite movie though...it's the only one I can what all the way through and not be terrified out of my mind! ;)

Okay!  We have at least one more blog post in the works...so stay tuned!

https://www.marchforbabies.org/aginak

2 for 1

Hi everyone!  It's been such a LOVELY weekend and we've had fun resting our sore muscles from track and tennis, reading, biking, running through the sprinklers, running away from bees, and celebrating Mom.  In honor of Mother's Day, we took out the dog when she woke up REALLY early today and made Mom breakfast in bed...heated up cinnamon rolls, coffee, and yogurt with granola and chocolate chips (that might not have been the best combination, but it was Alyssa's idea)!

Hope you don't mind, but we're going to do a "2 for 1" post for Mr. Todd & Ms. Jennifer and Grandma Debbie & Grandpa Stu. :)  Thank you so much for your March of Dimes donations!

Question #1:  If you could go back in time and revisit any memory, what would it be and why?

Alyssa:  I would want to go back to the time I got to feed the fox at the Alaska Zoo.  Foxes are my favorite animal and it makes me sad that I don't really remember getting to do it.  SO I would love to relive that (maybe I'll get the chance when we go back to Alaska this summer!!!!)

Katy: There are so many Alaska memories I would like to revisit, but the one that comes to mind is getting to see the wolves at the Alaska Zoo.  I love wolves...they are definitely in my top 3 animals.  It's going to be so cool to see them again when we are there this summer!

Question #2: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

Alyssa:  Oh boy!  I don't know!  There are a lot of great destinations!  Hmmmmm...let's think.  I already went to Hawaii and it was AMAZING.  So I can cross that off the list.  Maybe the Bahamas?  It's seems like a very beautiful place.  The Redwood Forrest would be AWESOME too!  Anywhere I can be in nature and not in an urban city is for me!

Katy: MY MIND!  MWHAHAHAHA!  Just kidding, but still that would be pretty cool! ;)  Actually I would like to visit the largest coral reef in the world...The Great Barrier Reef.  In our book series, my character, Tide, has an underwater house in the middle of the reef.  I want to see if my imagination lives up to the reality.

Question #3:  What does participating in the March of Dimes Walk every year mean to you?

Alyssa: It means a lot to see all the families walking for babies who have passed away and those that have survived.  It's so heart touching!  I'm very honored to be part of it and to be around the survivors of early births, syndromes, and diseases.

Katy:  It's awesome and it reminds me that others have gone through what we have gone through...we're not the only ones. It helps to know that other people might experience the same challenges we have.  It was super cool to meet a younger set of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome sisters at the end of the walk this year. 

Hope you enjoyed this post and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the moms out there!!!!

https://www.marchforbabies.org/aginak

Mythical Magic Book Series...

Hi! Katy here! Thank you Granny for your March of Dimes donation and putting us over the top to reach our goal! Alyssa and I thought it would be fun to share a little bit of the book we have been working on! Alyssa and I along with our best friends, Elsa and Lily, have been working on this project since before Christmas and finished on May 1st. It has been SO FUN to write this book and we hope to get it published. The book series is called Mythical Magic. There are going to be 5 books and a whole lot of bonus novels. This first one is called Tidal Wave and has 26 chapters plus bonus material (about 25,000 words). Each of the first 4 books will feature one of the main characters and the 5th will include all of their points of view.

Hi! Alyssa here! Let me tell you a little bit more about how this whole thing began. It started on the bus where Katy was telling Elsa about her book idea. Elsa thought it would be cool for the three of us to write a book together. Before class began (first period) we started to think of ideas for the book. Lily came in the classroom door and asked us what we were doing. After we told her that we were going to write a book, she asked if she could join us and we said yes! In second period we started brainstorming ideas of what the story should be about. Elsa thought it should be about 4 girls saving the world from a bloodsucking demon. Lily thought it should have something to do with the 4 elements of nature (Water, Air, Earth, and Fire). Katy and I thought the story should include animals and mythical creatures. So we came up with an idea that combined all of them...4 girls that are guardians of the elements and each had a magical animal. I won't spoil anymore of the book. Here is the first out of 26 chapters in Tidal Wave. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Once there was a woman named Dawn. She is as old as the universe itself, and was created to keep the world in balance, with Blackwell, the guardian who was created to rule all evil. There would have to be some balance between light and dark, good and evil, so Dawn came to balance the world.

Soon after, when earth was created, Tide, born in the deepest underwater cave on earth, rose to power, for the world was just water. A little while later, when the air on earth divided itself, and it became breathable for plants and animals, Airna, (whose name was pronounced Erna), was breathed into being.

When land started to form, Blossom, was created. She was born when the first flower on earth blossomed. She was the living spirit of all earth, but soon Airna, who grew jealous of the beautiful new being, became upset, and started hating Blossom with all of her heart.

Tide, fully aware of what was happening between Blossom and Airna, decided not to get involved, until Ash came along, when the first humans created fire. Ash did not like Tide one bit, since her water spells put out the fires she created, and they developed a hatred greater than Blossom and Airna.

After a while, Ash and Blossom became friends, since Ash’s volcanoes created lots of new land for Blossom. In this time, Tide and Airna became friends. The two sets of guardians, avoided each other as much as possible, though Tide and Blossom got along okay because Blossom's plants and animals needed her water. Ash and Airna also got along okay because without air Ash could not create fire

That is, until Dawn and Blackwell called together all four of them, to form a council, of the main elemental guardians, and the guardians of light and dark.

They all signed a contract that said they would work together in the council. At first, the girls were hesitant to sign it, but eventually signed, after convincing themselves that you don’t have to like someone, to work with them, in the sake of keeping the world safe from harm.

And so it was, the magic council, whose power came from the sun, the moon, and the four magic creatures. (All the girls had a magic creature that they had to protect.)

Tide had a sea serpent named Current, Ash had a dragon named Flame, Airna had Griffin named Griff, and Blossom had a unicorn named Flower.

Everything went well. For almost 9 thousand years, Until, everything changed…

Hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek of our book! 

https://www.marchforbabies.org/aginak

I love you man!

Thank you Ms. Shannon, Ms. Lisa, and your families for your March of Dimes donation!  This blog post goes out to you!  :)

On today's post we are sharing the top 5 things we love about each other!

Alyssa: 
What I love about Katy is...
1.  how we can always find something to play.  My favorite is all of our imagination games that we have made up over the years.
2.  how we enjoy most of the same things. We both enjoy math, tennis, running, dance, and much more.
3.  how much she loves animals and is very knowledgeable about them.  For example, she knows a TON about dolphins and wolves.
4.  how very smart she is.  I love that we can help each other when we get stuck on a homework problem.
5.  how much she loves me even when it's hard!  Even though we fight sometimes we always know that we love one another!

Katy:
What I love about Alyssa is...
1.  when I'm upset Alyssa is always there to comfort me....even when I'm angry and lash out she always wants to help me.
2.  that she has a wild imagination just like me!  We are always coming up with crazy games, stories, ideas, and projects.
3.  how she understands what I'm going through.  If she's already gone through something, she can help me through it and give advice.
4.  I love how much she knows about animals (especially foxes).
5.  she is so kind, caring, smart, creative, loving, and so much more packed into one little body! ;)

Thanks for tuning in and we hope to answer more questions soon!

https://www.marchforbabies.org/aginak

Inquiring Minds Want to Know...

Hi everyone!  Katy and Alyssa here once again...sorry it took us so long, but we've had a Science presentation that we've been working on about Newton's 3 Laws of Motion.  It was FUN and we learned a lot! We've also been finishing our book that we've been writing with 2 of our friends, but more about that later! ;)

Thank you to Ms. Shelly, Mr. Matt and Ms. Taryn and your families for the March of Dimes donations!

So Mom said, "Inquiring minds want to know...what's your favorite things about Spokane?"

                                    

Alyssa:

My favorite thing about Spokane is having new adventures, meeting new friends, and the breathtaking beauty of the landmarks here.  We've been able to go on some really good hikes and seen some awesome waterfalls...Twin Falls and Palouse Falls.  My friends are supporting, caring, and they can relate to me in tough situations.  They are so fun to do stuff with and great to work with especially on our book series we are writing.  I can't wait to learn more from my friends and I hope I can teach them some good life skills too.

Katy:

Meeting all of my friends, having 4 distinct seasons, and no mosquitoes (okay...some but not a lot) are some of my favorite things about Spokane.  If we had never moved from Alaska, we never would have met our best friend, Lily and our amazing group of best friends.  We love to laugh, hang out, be active, and partner up for school assignments.   They just make me feels amazing...I don't know how to describe it.  Also, I love how we have cold winters and lots of snow.  Summers are warm and we can play, swim in lakes, and go to outdoor movies at the park.  Spring and Fall are GREAT too!  We MISS Alaska, but love living here!!!!!  Besides, we never would have met Scout if we never moved here.

Thank You again and we hope to get to write again soon!

www.marchforbabies.org/aginak

Fun Facts

Thank you Amy B for our donation!  We thought today would be a good day to perhaps share a fun fact about each of us...

Alyssa...FUN FACT:
My favorite song we've played in band is "Awake the Iron". I love it because I love the feeling of adrenaline of the song and how intense it is. It was AWESOME to practice and perform.  The beats are very intense especially when the break drum was hit.  It was so loud Katy had to wear ear plugs in the percussion section.  I think Mom took a bit of video at our concert...let's see if we can share it!

Katy...FUN FACT:
Percussion is 10 times better than flute!!!!  MWHAHAHAHAHAHA...Alyssa is yelling at me right now!  Percussion to me is amazing because you can do so many things with it.  I'm getting to play like a million instruments and it never gets boring. I've played snare, xylophone, marimba, bells, bass drum, tom toms, and set.  Hopefully next year I'll get to play the timpani.


Hope you liked our fun facts! Don't forget to donate and leave us a question!
www.marchforbabies.org/aginak

Favorites...

Today's questions are all about favorites!

Question #1: "What is your favorite animal and why?"

Alyssa: 

My favorite animal...if I had to choose...is a fox. Hmmmm...I've never really thought about why! I've never had to say it out loud. I don't know. Maybe it's because they are misunderstood and I want to shed some light on them. Or maybe it's just because they are beautiful and the way they are built is amazing. They can run at high speeds for a really long time. They are very intelligent. They are very caring when it comes to their families...did you know that a female juvenile kit will sometimes stay and help the mother with her next litter? Pretty cool right? Or maybe it's because I feel like I share a lot of factors with them...we both have good hearing, we're both almost silent when we walk, we both have a good sense of smell, and I can run fast when I want to be.

Katy:

How can I choose!?!?!?!?! I love wolves, cheetahs, and dolphins!!!! I feel like I have a connection to each of them. When I'm running, I feel connected to wolves and cheetahs because I can run for a long time at a steady pace and I can sprint super fast for short periods of time. Wolves are so cool because of how they communicate and want to take care of their family. I love cheetahs and their cool abilities like how they can make sharp turns chasing after their prey while running at full speed. Being near the ocean or water makes me feel like I'm just meant to be there...when I swim, it feels like nothing can stop me. I get super playful in the water like a dolphin. Dolphins have AMAZING creature powers...like when they sleep they can turn off half of their brain. They pair up with another dolphin during sleep...then each dolphin is responsible for monitoring one half of their surroundings with their awake side of the brain. So by working together they can stay safe while sleeping. I could never choose because they are all so amazing in their own way.

Question #2: "Of all of the activities you've done...dance, soccer, cross country, and now tennis...which is your favorite and why?"

Alyssa:

It's very hard to decide between dance, tennis and cross country. I love all of them for different reasons. I love dance because of the way it makes you feel like you're floating through water and so graceful. Cross Country because I love the feeling of running long distances. It's like going on a nature walk only faster. I love being out in nature and feeling like an animal surviving in the wild...they have to run for hunting, escaping predators, and finding territory. Tennis is great because it's so much fun having the rush of running up and down the court chasing down a ball. I love feeling the impact of the ball on the racket and scoring a point against your opponent. I especially love playing doubles because you have to communicate with your partner...to say "I got it" or "that's you...you can do it" or "great hit"! It's just so much fun encouraging each other...even your opponents.  

Katy:

Oh goodness...it's gotta be Cross Country! I love it because its a way to push myself while having fun. I love seeing what I can do. It's great because you can do it in all types of weather...except for maybe snowing...and natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes.😉 It's always outside and you get to test yourself. I don't know...I just feel free!!!! 

If you want to hear more blog posts from us, PLEASE donate and ask us a question!

If you'd like to make a donation, follow this link :)

https://www.marchforbabies.org/aginak

Alyssa and Katy Take Over the Blog...

Hi everyone!  Alyssa and Katy here!  We're taking over the blog for this March of Dimes donation season!  SOOOOOO if you make a donation and leave a question, we will answer it to the best of our ability.

Thank you Mary-Beth for your donation!  You asked us to tell a favorite memory or story about Scout, our dog.  Well, here it goes...

We were in the car on the the way home from school when Mom told us to go in the backyard to help Dad with something.  The first thought that came into our minds was...PUPPY!  But that would have been RIDICULOUS! Then we thought...to help pick weeds...BORING!  We kept guessing stuff on the way home.  We pulled in the driveway and went into the backyard.  When a puppy suddenly came bounding toward us, we thought, "is this another dog we get to meet to see if this is the breed for us?" Then we realized, "this is OUR DOG, Scout!!!!!!"  She was the most beautiful dog we had ever seen in our lives (except for Madison, our old dog, of course)!!!!  We cried out in joy!  If you'd like more details about what happened next, see the video link because everything after that was a blur of love, happiness, and a big ball of fluffy fur!

Thanks again and we can't wait for our next blog post!

If you'd like to make a donation, follow this link :)

https://www.marchforbabies.org/aginak

We're swimming at the Y....M....C....A!!!!

I almost forgot about this!  Last summer the girls did 3 different camps.  The first one was free of charge and was really just an awesome visit from Micki and kids.  That was called "Camp Spokane".  The second one was a two week gymnastics camp.  The final camp of the summer was a 2 week swimming lesson class at the Y!

The girls have always loved the water but like most 6 year olds with limited time in the water, a little hesitant and nervous about swimming.  So we thought an organized class would help them get over some of their anxiety.  Overall it went well.  They might have been a couple of the weaker kids in the class and didn't quite graduate to the next level but we just took it as that; an introduction and familiarization.  As you'll see, they definitely had fun!!

Check out our YMCA!!  Really REALLY nice!

 Waiting for their class to start...getting ALL kinds of excited.

 I love those times when it is impossible for them to hold back their glee.  I've seen it in both of them a bit where they try to not act like little girls and brush off stuff that you know they're excited about....jumping in the pool is not one of those times.  Total unadulterated happiness.

 Katy was just a little bit more anxious than Alyssa when it came to going under water and trying to swim.  Part of the reason might have been their cheap goggles that we got them.  She would go under water and immediately flip them up and wipe her eyes.  That problem will be fixed this year with some much better gear.

 My one complaint...this dude.  You can just tell from his face he should not be giving lessons to kindergartners!  This high school kid got under our skin but he was relatively effective and the kids loved him so we didn't say anything.  But it was looks like this that made me want to take him aside and shake the highschool out of him. 

 Katy putting her whole face under.  I know it seems like a small achievement but this took a few lessons before she started doing this.  Great job, K!

 I actually got a picture of the anxiety.  So sweet.

 Lining up to all jump in.  One of the reasons I didn't like the teacher was he had a little toy that he would use to squirt the kids with water!  Who does that?!  Again, he would just push the line and not quite cross it.  One of the ways he made it okay was letting the kids get him wet.  Here's Katy getting him back a little.

 Don't know what was going on here but I LOVE Alyssa's face.  "You want me to do WHAT?!"

 High 5s all the way around.

 Cutest tooshies and hair.

 This is the girls friend Kaden from Kindergarten.  He's a great kid but but still tough to see my little girls making a big deal about a boy.  As great as this picture of Katy and Kaden chatting is, I LOVE Alyssa's face as she catches me trying to take a picture of them together.  Classic.  Oh it will only get worse, Alyssa.  I'm just experimenting with the endless ways I will embarrass you in front of your friends!

Well you can thank a cold for this rare midday blog as I'm home sick drinking lots of water and about to take a nap.  At least I'm blogging, right?!

The Summer of Visitors

What is this??  Another blog entry that isn't related to a "thank you" for any March of Dimes donation?? Yep.  My MO the last 3 or 4 years has been to blog religiously for nearly 5 weeks straight, then to take some time off.  Taking some time off turns into months at a time between blog posts.  Now I'm not saying that is going to happen again, but I do enjoy blogging and thought while we're having a quiet evening I should keep it going.

By quiet evening, I mean the girls are in bed and Lisa and I are watching a movie we've seen a dozen times.  We have been incredibly active the last couple of days with long walks, disc golf, real golf, basketball, and lawn care.  My body is TIRED!! So no way I'm moving from this couch until it's time for bed.

As I looked through our old pictures from last summer, I found a batch from one of our buddies, Tom.  It got me thinking about how many people came to see us last summer!  I think we have similar pictures from a lot of our visitors but Tom's visit was great....had lots of fun checking out some of our favorite hot spots including downtown, Coeur d'Alene, and Green Bluff.

 Our sweet girls...making visitors feel like family for 7 years straight!

 What's a trip downtown without a quick ride on the carousel? 

 I thought this was a cool pic...looking through a maple leaf (I think) cut-out on a bench near the water.

 Then there was this guy...creepy Elvis Clown who unfortunately would cross our paths a little later.

 I think Tom came at about the minimum the falls were at during the late summer.  They are ROARING right now!  

 Triplets??

 Alyssa pointing out something for Tom who seems a little confused.

 This was a long time coming...having someone take a City of Spokane pic of the family!  It was funny asking kids around us to get out off the blocks for a few seconds so we could take the picture...then struggling to get the girls to stand in the right place, look at the camera, and SMILE!  Not as easy as it seems.  

 I love these pictures of the kids playing in the fountain.

 And there he is... creep Elvis Clown lured us over for some fun balloon animals. I kept my distance while Lisa took one for the team.  

 The girls didn't seem to mind.  We may need to work on their creepy clown radar!

 Next stop is Lake Coeur d'Alene!  As many times as we had been, this was the first time we walked out on the dock and across the dock.  Stunningly beautiful August weather, eh??

 We weren't the only ones enjoying the weather.  Check out all the traffic on the lake.

 My sweet girls going ahead while Tom and I stayed back taking too many pictures.

 We couldn't come all the way out without sticking our feet in the water!!

 CdA hosts a speed boat race that was coming up real soon.

 I'll have to think about this a bit but I'm leaning toward declaring this my favorite moose statue ever.

 Time for some farm fun up at Green Bluff!!  Every time we go, we find something new to do or fruit to pick.  This was a mixture of lots of goats, peaches, and some apples that weren't quite ready yet.

 I don't think I stopped laughing the entire time we hung out with the goats.

 This picture puts you right there with us.  You can just hear him saying "bllleeeeeeaaaaahhhhhh"

 Not sure why but this one made me laugh out loud just now.

 Enough goating around, time for some FRUIT!  

 My, those are some sweet looking peaches!!   ....see what I did there??

 And the apples that we were told we could pick.  We're always given a free pass to eat whatever we want while we're out picking.  The girls love grabbing an apple and working on it while we walk around and make our way back to the farm.  This time they powered through it until the bitter end...those apples were NOT ready.  We had picked a few more but they didn't even charge us...they felt bad for the girls and that we spent time picking them.  I think we did something fun with them though... Lisa will have to remind me.

So that's just one example of the many visitors we had this past summer.  We now have a few more tricks up our sleeves of things to do so if you're thinking about making a visit, plan it NOW!!  Reservations are limited; first come, first serve!