5th Grandson Arrives - Cam Joseph

Cam Joseph Showalter was born on 8/20/13 at 7 pounds 4 ounces, 20 1/2 inches long at approximately 3/20 AM.

Cam Joseph

Little Cam kept everyone waiting as he was 10 days overdue.  April's mom, Robin had been in Indianapolis for almost 2 weeks ready to help and David, April's dad was there the last week of that time.  Sunday, August 18 they flew home.  I arrived in Indy on Saturday, August 17 so the Showalter household was covered for another 5 days as I needed to leave August 22.  Come on baby!


Waiting, waiting, waiting
And while we wait we play, Cade goes to school and we play!!

Kasen with the tent we created.

Cade playing under the tent.

Dave and Robin and the fun of making snow!

Cade is off to kindergarten!

Kasen and I played trains on the long track we made.

And then.... in the way early hours on August 20
Brent alerted me around 2:45 am that they were off to the hospital.  Within an hour he called to say that Cam Joseph had arrived!  Brent was home when the boys woke up to tell them that their little brother was born.  Cade raced down the hall - I think he went looking for them.  We all went to the hospital to see Cam, then Brent took Cade to school later.

The boys on the way in to the hospital

The new family!

Nana with my new grandson!

While Brent took Cade to school we stayed at the hospital
I got to hold Cam and Kasen had another breakfast.

April with her two littles.

Reading and rocking - yes that works.

Brent and April with Cam

One day old....
I take Cade to school after the night on our own!  Kasen and I spent the morning working outside. Naps then time to pick up Cade with Brent.  We took them to the "blast off" park in Brownsburg and then to the hospital.

My outside helper.

After school at the blast off park

Taking flowers to mommy.

Opening big brother presents from Landon & Owen
and papa & nana

Thanks, Landon & Owen.
Cade loved the legos

Kasen looking through a book.

Aww...so sweet!

Big brothers checking on Cam.

Pizza party to celebrate.

Family photo

And finally Cam comes home!
After three nights without mommy, daddy and Cam, Cade and Kasen were anxious to have them home!  I took Cade to school and mid-morning Cam arrived home.

Cam's home!

Before my flight I had time to hold Cam
and read to Kasen.

Blessings to this wonderful family!  

Landon & Owen Day

Friday, August 16 Scott started back to school so we snatched the boys for the day!  We saved them from Kids Inc for one more day.  They will go there on Monday, then Tuesday Melissa will have them on her day off, and Wednesday Landon starts 2nd grade with Owen back to Kids Inc.  The following Monday he will start preschool in the afternoons and his section of PS is held right there at Kids Inc.  It is fall and time for school and retirement feels as wonderful this third year as it did the first.

We went to CR to get the boys.  The first stop was iHop for breakfast - funny face pancakes!  Then we went to Grandma Iva's new place in CR.  Forget to take pictures on my phone!  It is lovely and I pray that she will be happy settling in there.  Then back to Wellman for lunch and the afternoon.  Legos were the activity of choice today along with teaching Landon to play Farkle.  Owen had a good nap and before we knew it, it was time to head back to CR.

Melissa turned 35 last Wednesday so we treated them to dinner at her choice of restaurant.  Zeppelin's Bar and Grill was a great choice!  We enjoyed the evening and the food.

Nome, Alaska

August 1 - 8, 2013  
Nome, Alaska

Once again the sport of basketball takes us to a new destination - Nome, Alaska.  Don has been asked to conduct a basketball camp there so early August 1 we take off.  A 6:30 flight takes us to Chicago, then 6 1/2 hours from Chicago to Anchorage, then 3 hours to Nome which involved a stop at Kotzebue which is past the Artic Circle!  We arrive in Nome about 8 pm which is 3 hours ahead of central time.  So from the first leg to the end it took 17 hours!


We had a 3 hour lay-over in Anchorage.  We had time for lunch - seafood chowder and fish & chips.  We also had time to explore the Native Alaska exhibits.

In the Anchorage airport

Friday
We are staying with Chuck and Peggy in their lovely home looking out to the Bering Sea.  Friday was a low-key day of exploring Nome.

The Bering Sea

We went to the recreation center where Alan Stein was
conducting his work outs for a few days.

Using Peggy's car Don and I drove around the area.

The High School gym

Art work in the new hospital which Peggy is
responsible for.

Friday night Chuck arranged to have a big seafood feast with the coaches and others at the fire station.  We had Alaska red crab, salmon and halibut.  It was all delicious, but we LOVED the crab.  The coach of the girls team, Don is a crabber so he really knows how to do it right.

Coach Don getting the crabs ready.

Salmon grilled on cedar planks.

Don enjoying the Alaska red crabs.

Saturday
We lined up a helicopter tour for noon to get an overview of  Nome and the area.  It was a cloudy and misty morning but we flew anyway.

Flying over Nome

An abandoned dredging machine
Dredging for gold was and still is going on in Nome.

The Snake River

Nearing the mountains

Mosquito Pass

One side of this lake was still frozen.

Glacier Lake

Cripple Creek

Around Nome
Nome's population during the gold rush got up to 40,000 in the late 1800s.  Now it's about 3500.

The huge gold panning pan in Nome

An old church that is now a community center.

The Nugget Inn on Front Street - the main street through town.

City Hall

Welcome to Nome wooden sign

Much mining and historical items at the Museum

Front Street is full of bars - here is the oldest saloon

At the top of Anvil Mountain

We found a herd of Muskox on the way down Anvil Mt.

Gold dredge # 5 is no longer used.
There are these gold dredges all around the Nome area.

We climbed in, up and around this dredge.

Don at basketball camp

Our Hosts - Chuck and Peggy Fagerstrom

Peggy fixing crab cakes!

Chuck and Peggy out at their "camp"

Salmon berries from an afternoon out on the tundra.

Sheri (Chuck & Peggy's daughter in Nome) bagging
all the salmon berries.
Peggy made a pie and it was delicious!

Many days we had a fire in the wood stove .
August weather was cloudy, rainy, cool

Their house looking out at the Bering Sea.

Chuck getting the salmon ready for the grill.

The Fagerstrom family
Chuck and Peggy
daughter Sheri
son Buzz from Anchorage with Will & Laney