From the Top of the World to Down Under: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Hi Friends!

Everything is going well here above the Arctic circle. The twilight hours are turning into minutes, but the temps are strangely above normal for Barrow. The other day I spotted the thermostat at 29 degrees! A heat wave!

We finally got a glimpse of the whale bones.

I would have stood under them so you can see how tall they are, but it was waaaaaay too cold.

Jose and I have taken advantage of the above average temps and use it as an excuse to save on cab fare (and get more exercise!)

Getting ready to head out!

The other day we walked to the Post Office. Here is what happened:

My eyelashes froze.

Goggles would come in handy right about now!

Snow machine tracks

They should have a yard sale.

Jose spilled coffee on his mitten and it froze immediately.

We also wanted to check out the sushi restaurant in town. You might think, "there is sushi in the Arctic?!" Why yes, there is!

Amaury's first time in a high chair!

Amaury loves rice and miso!

He couldn't get enough!

Forget the bottle mama!

Delish!!!

We couldn't resist.

It was tasty!

We celebrated Thanksgiving with 3 other families. We all made side dishes and desserts, and Jose prepared the turkey. I found a nice brine, which we got going the night before, and it turned out pretty good. I'm not a huge turkey fan, but I love to help Jose prepare it. It was a nice afternoon of getting to know the other families and watching all the kids play. Amaury had a taste of just about everything on our plate. I can't believe how much this kid likes pretty much whatever we give him. (Picky eaters would not be allowed in our family anyway!) Afterwards, we continued our celebration at our new friends, Cruz and Lilliana's house. I was so happy for Jose to be able to speak Spanish!

There have been a number of craft fairs going on in town, but nothing beats the annual Rotary event last Saturday. We arrived to find a parking lot full of cars and people walking out with large bags full of goodies. They had everything from handmade fur hats, mittens and boots to art work and photography. It was also a meeting spot of everyone in town. We spent over 2 hours at the craft fair - mostly socializing! I did get some cute mukluks for Amaury.

Amaury just loves all the social events in Barrow!

Yesterday morning, Jose got ready for work just as he normally would, then he got what I call a "magic text."

THE HOSPITAL IS CLOSED DUE TO THE BLIZZARD.

What? How could this Arctic town close? I was like a kid in elementary school - Snow Day!!!! We put Amaury down for a nap and suited up to "take out the trash." Yes, that was our excuse to go outside!