Random Pictures

Here are a few random pictures from this weekend. There was a parade in Soldotna and the kids got loaded up with candy. The pictures below are from our trip to Exit glacier. Kaitlyn was getting a bit crazy and did some Gene Simmons thing. I don't know what's up with that girl. I figured that I had better throw a brothers picture in there too. ~Erik

Family Trip to Seward

We took another trip with my brother Ryan and his family. We went to Seward to the Sealife Center and Exit glacier. Angela told me that I had to post some pictures of our kids because they were there too. I just figured that you always get to see our monsters, why not liven it up with someone else's kids? Anyways, here are a few of the shots from the trip. Set up shot here. The first shot is an HDR image made from 3 different exposures. The glacier was pretty cool, lots of people from the cruse ships though. The kids loved having their cousins in town. ~Erik

Family in Town

My brother Ryan and his family have been up in Alaska for the last week. I was able to take them out on the boat and do some beach combing. The weather was a bit rainy but they didn't seem to mind, probably because they are from Washington, the home of rainy weather. We put out a crab ring and caught a few star fish and some small rockfish. Also, as shown in the last picture, Brooks caught a few fish off the dock. The kids had a really good time despite the weather. ~Erik

Soon

3 1/2 more weeks until we have the newest edition to the Massey family. Angela has been ready for the last 2 months. Well kind of. ~Erik

If I seem a bit crabby...

You may remember from last year I was down on my luck when it came to crab. This year my luck has changed. The season for tanner crab opened on the 15th of July and fortunately I was able to get the pots in the water. We pulled the pots and got a few crabs. I won't lie when we pulled them up I was a bit afraid to grab them because I thought that they would snap away and start pinching my hands. They didn't get me though. The following pictures may be a bit disturbing, sorry that is how we take care of business. To get the legs ready to cook you just grab the 2 sets of lets and twist like shown below. Shake the extra goo out then pluck the gills off. You can see the bowl of legs in the last picture. After you get them cleaned throw them in a pot and steam them for 20 minutes. Wallah fresh cooked crab. It tastes sweet! I love living in Alaska. ~Erik

Cake fest!

Angela and a friend made a cake this last weekend for a 15 year old's birthday party. It was a little wild with colors, but it turned out very nice. I went a bit crazy with the picture, but, hey, that's what I do. I got some candles and tried to get some crazy smoke. The picture turned out like I wanted it to. Setup shot is below. ~Erik

Bridal Photo shoot

I did a photo shoot for Emily and Chris. There were lupines in bloom which are a beautiful purple. I was able to set up my strobes and get the right shots. I have to chuckle at OT in the setup shot. He's super stoked about the marriage thing. Thanks again Josh. Congrats Emily and Chris! ~Erik

The tooth saga begins

Kaitlyn has been wanting to lose a tooth for a while. I don't know what it is, but when a kid sees a fellow classmate with a hole in their grill it creates tooth loss envy. She has been trying to loosen her teeth for about 6 months. Well, we just decided to pull one out. OK not really, it really did get loose and we got some help from Grandpa Massey. Having 10 children of his own, he has pulled his share of teeth. Anyways, he took care of business and it was quick. Kaitlyn didn't even realize that it had been pulled by the time the deed was done. Sorry about the bloody picture below. If you have followed the blog for a while, it probably isn't a surprise. ~Erik

The many faces of Moo Moo

Kali has all sorts of faces. Bottom right is the Massey grit your teeth and shake. It is usually accompanied by a pinch, hair pull or punch. Just can't help but like that girl. ~Erik
Larger picture

New Haircuts!

Erik likes to shave his head during the summer. Owen, always wanting to be like Dad, wanted his head shaved too. So, the other night, much to my chagrin, Erik buzzed Owen's head. My poor little bald baby, but Owen loves it and thinks he's so cool. The girls are never willing to let Owen have all the fun, so they insisted on haircuts too. Kali looked online at different do's and then saw her cousin, Evelyn, on her blog. She decided she wanted hair just like Evie. I did my best and Kali thinks she's so cute now. Kaitlyn decided she just wanted bangs, and to keep the rest of her hair the same. It's amazing how much haircuts change the way they look (especially to a mom). I keep doing double takes through out the day. They are all happy campers and love their hair, and that's what counts. -Angela

Angela is Psychotic!

Angela was back to her old tricks. Not only is she 20 months pregnant but she also feels like she needs to be Sally seamstress. She made 4th of July costumes for the girls. I always have to chuckle because she is serious about holidays. Heaven forbid that the girls have to wear something they already own on the 4th. After countless hours the dresses turned out spectacular, as always. We spent the holiday down in Homer. The kids had a great time and they looks good in their costumes. ~Erik
Oh yeah, Angela went crazy on the girls hair also. That woman is nuts.

Henwood Photo Shoot

I did a photo shoot for the Henwood family the other day. Justin and his family were up from Colorado and they wanted some pictures with the whole clan. We had a good time and the kids were great. There are a couple more shots here. I couldn't resist getting a jump shot at the end. This is where we did the photo shoot. ~Erik

Jump!

Erik brought us all to the beach last Saturday. The girls were whining and didn't want to go until he promised he wouldn't bring his camera. They cheered and agreed to go. Erik, of course, couldn't help it and brought all his gear anyways. They whined again, but he didn't make them pose for too many pictures. Instead we took pictures of each other. He made me do jumping shots while 7 1/2 months pregnant, but we had fun. By the way, the baby should be here in less than 6 weeks - ready or not, here we go. We all had a nice time at the beach despite the girls' initial protests. Alaska is a really nice place in the summer. -Angela