Christmas 2010

Christmas this year was excellent in the Speaks home. Jared was deployed to Afghanistan for Christmas 2009 and likely he will be gone again for Christmas 2011, but Christmas 2010 will not soon be forgotten.

So many of you sent your love this way. As usual, the boys received more money and presents than any 10 kids ever need. In the end they each had enough new Legos, new clothes, candy, and other fun stuff to keep them going strong for quite some time.

Of course it is hard to not be able to see each of you. We love you and miss you all. There are so many from our home back in Missouri who we miss, and friends and family scattered around the country from Tennessee to Maryland to Utah to Oregon and beyond. But we have been blessed with amazing friends here in the great state of Alaska and for that we are ever grateful.

Here where great distance separates so many from their loved ones, friends become family and keep the cold winters warm. Thanks to everyone who helped make this past Christmas 2010 one to remember.

Shirts and Fun Stuff from the Hendersons

This year Pap-daddy and Grandma sent some fun t-shirts from their visit to Colorado. They also sent a fun filled bag of goodies to each grand-monkey, and gift cards $. You know what they bought with their money...Legos!

Legos from the Hart

This year, Gramps, Nanna K, and McKenna sent Legos to the Speaks Boys for Christmas. Here are the boys posing with their Lego creations courtesy of the Harts.

Legos from the Hart continued

Here are larger pictures of just the legos assembled. If you click on these pics they will blow up so you can see the awesomeness. The boys are always so pleased with their creations. We eat, sleep, and breathe Legos at the Speaks' home.

Robes from Grandma

This year Jared's mom made robes and matching PJ pants for the boys for Christmas. Here they are modeling them.

Gavin was the most authentic model as he had the "bed-head" to match.

Puzzle Time

Santa brought the boys a puzzle this Christmas, and everyone had a great time putting it together (below), so I bought a second one. It's not going so well.

Falls hike, Winter edition

Getting there...

posing there

Time to leave!

Sledding 101

Essentially, we are sledding pros. We go often, and we go fast.

Here are a few action shots of Megan and the Boys showing everyone else on the hill how it's done. Looks of envy were all over that hill.

but ever even keeled, our little men maintained a professional demeanor run after run.

Christmas at the Kistners; Power Outage

This was one of three tables of food...

..but I think that we can all agree that this was the most important one!

Christmas at the Kistners; Power Outage

Christmas Evening there was a power outage in Eagle River that lasted for 3 hours. It actually made for a fun Christmas evening. I played around with the camera...

Christmas Eve at the Robles

Our fabulous friends, the Robles Family, were kind enough to invite us over for dinner on Christmas Eve.

And they entertained us with the Wii. What concentration!

A Martian Christmas

This Year the school put on "A Martian Christmas." in which invaders from Mars came to Earth for snow (their fuel source) and they learn all about Christmas, Kwanza, and Hanukkah.

Gavin and Asher played supporting roles in the accompanying Dancing Choir.

Asher

Gavin

Becoming too cool for Santa

Though he is a little doubtful, he was more than willing...

And Gavin is full of Christmas Cheer...

...but Asher is another story. Love those presents though!

Family Pics; Take Two

Family Pictures; Take One

Speaks Boys at Jim's Creek

One day I came home from work and just wanted to take the boys out, so we quickly loaded up and headed to Jim's Creek. Jim's Creek is an area located on the Knik River near Palmer, AK. There are trails for four-wheeling for trucks and ATV's alike. We had camped there once earlier in the year and decided we would some back in early August 2010 to try our luck fishing for Silver Salmon. I could see a few swimming in the water, but it we had no luck. We will do better next year! Once we got bored with fishing, we turned to fire building.

It was a great evening out for the Speaks boys!

partial Rainbow at Jim's Creek around sunset

Gorgeous

Gavin building his first fire