Bradley Family: December 2020

Ant Farm research for homeschool.

In just a few days the ants had made many tunnels.

Kael's journal for the day about the word conscientious and his Dad.

Out for a walk.

Elara outgrew her minecraft pajamas and handed them down to Connor, only after she got a new pair.

And just like that Elfie the Elf is back.

We painted our coffee table. I think it turned out perfect for our living room.

As we go on walks sometimes it is more fun to bring a sled and pull each other.

And when they get tired, they just plop in the snow.

For Christmas this year we decided to surprise the kids with a chinchilla. At the store we decided on this girl. It is sure fun to surprise the kids.

Kael gets bigger every day. The kids started swim team again. It's a fun journey going in single digit temperatures in a swim suit and boots and running to a warm pool.

Moose foot prints in the snow. I can tell most Alaskan animal prints now.

We had a Christmas party day at homeschool and came in pajamas, had a gift exchange, and decorated ginger bread houses. It was so much fun!

The moose really like to stand in front of the entrance to Derek's work. He either has to be brave and walk around them, or find another way in.

A lady at Derek's work got all the staff African shirts.

The snow plow sure likes to pile the snow in front of our house.

We had so much snow the plows make it go almost all the way to the top of the stop sign.

The kids and I went cross country skiing on base. It was a good way to start learning some skiing. It was a beautiful day and was so fun!

Icicles on the church building.

Ice skating lessons were having a family day because the recital was canceled. Derek was able to come and it was pretty fun being able to go skating as a family.

The week before Christmas

Hot tub in the winter never gets old.

Icicles in the hot tub don't last long, but they make good unicorn horns, or narwhale horns.

Connor is too dashing in his church clothes.

Eden did a fabulous job drawing the 12 days of Christmas on our white board every day before Christmas. I only took a picture of one or two, but all were excellent.

10 maids a milking.

Elara made her own recipe to make her own cake.

Elara got a Christmas present from her primary teacher.

Turkey for toquitos for Christmas Eve.

The kids and Derek played in the snow and built a fort and a snowman.

It is so good having snow to play in again.

Sometimes Alaska takes my breath away and I just have to take a picture.

Elara got new glasses as well.

11 pipers piping was pretty funny.

Kael got new glasses.

We needed two forts to have the best snow ball forts.

Christmas Eve taquitos

Christmas Eve matching family jammies that Mom made. Dad got a new blanket and Mom got a gag gift with my face on it.

Having hard wood floors is cold in the winter, so everyone got new slippers for Christmas Eve as well.

The Christmas Eve present train.

Christmas 2021

Blocking off the entrance to the presents.

MoMo our new Chinchilla

MoMo's Palace

Santa brought coal to everyone's stockings. Chocolate coal that is.

Our 2020 Christmas letter

Merry Christmas

I think for all of us we can safely say, “What a year 2020”, or “who would have thought 2020”?! While for many this year brought hardships and tragedy, I’m grateful for the time to reflect at the end of the year. I’m also grateful for an opportunity to see how hardships and trials have molded our lives, and hopefully changed us for the better. What we are grateful for this year.

Traveling to Disneyland in February and visiting family before our big move. Derek graduating fellowship in June and becoming an Interventional Pain doctor. Our children growing a year older and wiser. Our friends and family who supported and helped us with our move from Texas to Alaska. Covid providing us more time together as a family and to be able to connect more. Purchasing a house that we can call home for the next 4 years. Household goods arriving and not being lost at sea. Making new friends while keeping our old. Kael getting his first job mowing a lawn. Starting a homeschool co op group, and learning to be a teacher. Elara being baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Derek passing his Interventional Pain Boards! No more boards for almost 10 years!!! Teaching science and history to a group of amazing children. We are so grateful for a Prophet of God who blessed us and taught us the healing power of gratitude. We are looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ this Christmas season with snow on our lawn.

We have had so many unexpected and expected changes this last year. We have had many learning experiences that have helped to shape and mold our family. We are grateful for the opportunity to use these chances to learn, grow, and become better people on this earth. In any circumstance we can choose to be happy, to learn something new, to grow, or to simply not. Our prayers go out to anyone affected by Covid, that are having hardships, or loss. We pray for you all. We are thinking of you, and when Covid eventually calms down and the world is ok to travel, our door is open. Our family looks forward to becoming excellent tour guides.

All our love,

The Bradley’s

Derek, Sharice, Kael, Eden, Elara, and Connor

Merry Christmas, I love you all even though we are far away. Alaska is amazing, and I hope I can see you all again soon. Love, Eden

I love you guys. I very miss you so much. Good bye. Love, Connor

All people from near and far, I have loved Alaska and adore it, but I miss the old times when I got to see you and just being able to talk to you. I love and miss you. Have a Merry Christmas. Love, Elara

I really had a great adventure on our trip to Alaska. We saw bears, bald eagles, and foxes. The snow makes Christmas more complete. Love, Kael

MoMo our chinchilla is so fun to play with.

We were hanging out at home when we got a text from friends saying we should come ice fish. Our Bishop Kahumoku was fishing with the Arner's and some others, so we rushed over to try it out.

Every day is fun when you have a chinchilla to play with.

Barbara Falls waterfall was a short hike we did in August when we first arrived. We decided to try it out in the winter when everything was frozen.

My new bedspread I got for Christmas is beautiful!

I went skiing with Deniene and Caitlin and it was FREEZING cold.

It was so cold my hair started to freeze.

We had friends over to play and got a real and very heavy hockey puck to play hockey with in our driveway with all the ice outside it worked perfectly. However, we didn't have pads or helmets on and poor Connor got hit on the mouth with the hockey puck and it was pretty horrific, but he was so tough through it all. Thankfully it was only fat lips and cuts and nothing worse.

Vickie Otte has become our Grandma while in Alaska. She is our neighbor who lives just down the road. She sent us halibut with a recipe to fry it, so for New Years Eve we went to town frying halibut. It was delicious and made for a fun night to end 2020.