Kallunki Family

Grandma Bobbie & Grandpa Brad

2011-05-30T16:51:00.005-07:00

We were so lucky to have G-ma and G-pa Egbert come and visit. They were able to be here for Detroit's 5th grade graduation and we had a lot of fun with them in town! We sure wish they (or we) lived a lot closer!

The last night they were here I snapped some cute pics of them hanging out with the kiddos.

Helping Detroit "remember" how to ride her bike. Seriously, I thought no one forgot how to do that...
(Sorry kiddo, just kidding! [not really, shhhhh....])

Doing puzzles with Grandma...

Reading with Grandpa...

So lucky to have such an awesome Grandma and Grandpa!

***
We also had a great time at Bottomless Lakes. G-ma/G-pa weren't quite sure if they should believe that there really was a lake...especially after they saw the dust that we fondly call a "yard." But lo and behold, it really does exist!

The water is really cold, but Grandpa was brave enough to get in with the kids. Yay for grandpa!

Brrrrr!!!

Joaquin's Batman Birthday

2011-05-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

This year Joaquin decided he wanted a Batman birthday party at our Jazzercise center. We had tons of fun celebrating J's fourth birthday in Superhero style.

The birthday boy in his new Batman attire:

Of course being in the Jazzercise center, we had to dance! The kids played Dance/Freeze to classics like "Who Let the Dogs Out," "The Official Hampster Dance," "Macarena," & you get the idea.

Dance!

Freeze!

The next game was of course a classic...Pin the BAT on the SPOTLIGHT!

Making their bats:

Joaquin was kind of close...

Daddy even gave it a try!

Everyone did a great job! They might have been able to see through the blindfold just a bit...

Of course no party is complete without the Hokey Pokey!

Since our local grocers apparently don't do Batman cakes/cupcakes, my mom and I got a little creative. Bless Grandma's heart...she glued each of these confetti to toothpicks for me. Good thing they were large confetti! Joaquin was very pleased.

Can't have Batman cupcakes without Batman water...

Don't get too close! Lol!

Everyone was VERY aware of Joaquin's obsession with Superheroes, so he made out quite well. Super cool Spider-Man mask, little Thor guys, new Batman towel (personalized with his name no less!), and the list goes on. Thanks everyone for the awesome gifts!

What an awesome Batman birthday!

Detroit - First Day of Fifth Grade

2010-08-10T13:00:00.014-07:00

I can't believe my baby girl started 5th grade today! I don't think I'm ready for this...and for what comes after 5th grade...Middle School! Yikes! I am so proud of this girl; she is such a sweetheart and really enjoys school. Her big goal for this year? To keep her desk clean! We'll see how that goes...she is Jared's daughter after all. (hee hee)

Detroit walks to school every day with her friend Nathaniel. He lives across the street. We are so spoiled living 2 blocks away from the school and I love that she has a good buddy to walk with. Makes mornings easy on me!

Since I got my own shadow in the picture, I had the kids turn for the next one. Apparently they were staring directly into the sun since Detroit looks like she is ready to cry! Oh well, she really was happy!

Happy Birthday Detroit!

2010-03-09T21:46:00.000-08:00

Detroit's birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, which also happened to be her last basketball game of the season. We got to cheer Detroit on, and she played really well! It is amazing how much she has improved!

To celebrate her birthday we let Detroit choose where she wanted to go eat after the game, and she chose...RED LOBSTER! She was so excited, but she had a hard time choosing between the Clam Chowder and the Snow Crab Legs. (Yes, pretty good taste for a 10 year old, huh?)

She chose the Snow Crab Legs:

Joaquin was obsessed with the lobsters in the tank and spent most of the evening hovering over the tank looking in. Our server graciously offered to get one out for the kids to look out. Detroit found this exceptionally cool. Joaquin also enjoyed this treat, but from afar...

(He was hiding on the bench in the corner, squealing with delight.)

Apparently Red Lobster does not offer a complimentary dessert for birthdays.
Instead, we got a lovely cheddar biscuit...

Joaquin was obsessed with the crab claw...

Detroit's birthday dessert wish? Lemon Meringue Pie!
(Like father, like daughter!)

PRESENTS!

(Yes, she really is her father's daughter, isn't she?!)

Marie Curie

2010-03-08T15:06:00.001-08:00

This evening Detroit told me one of the funniest things I think I have ever heard...

A little boy in her class (who is a pain) told her she looked like Michael Jackson...whatever that means. So she told him, "You look like Marie Curie!" As she is telling me the story, I thought she was trying to be hip and call this kid Mariah Carey, so I said, "Did you mean Mariah Carey?" She says, "No, I called him Marie Curie." This proclamation was followed by wild laughter and it was obvious she was extremely pleased with that zinger of a comeback.

Oh my gosh, I think I cried and about peed my pants from laughing so hard. First of all, I am sure this boy doesn't even know who Marie Curie is, and second of all, what fourth grader uses Marie Curie as a comeback anyway! Detroit, that's who!

(I really wish I could have gotten the story on video, because she was SO proud of herself.)

Tuscon

2010-02-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, we were able to travel to Tuscon and see our nephew, Goose, play baseball for the Utah Valley University Wolverines.

It was a lot of fun to get to see him play! The kids even had him sign one of the foul balls that they got. Lol...

Joaquin, Goose and Detroit

Goose

Joaquin was busy playing on the bleachers as we watched and as I turned to see what he was doing, this scene caught my eye. It seemed appropriate since we live in Roswell, and I love the way Joaquin set him up.

Later on, I glanced over and noticed Joaquin had lined up all of his toys on the numbers along the bleacher. It reminded me so much of when Detroit was little and would always line up her plastic Care Bears by color.

Pretty pleased with himself...

Like father like daughter...
A little lull in the game, and they are both busy reading the newspaper. (And apparently Jared is cramming a large handful of popcorn into his mouth!)

Jared and his brother Josh were really excited when we found their Grandma's old house. Jared hadn't seen it since about 1984 and was pretty impressed that Josh was able to find it.

(I am sure the owners wondered why we were posing and taking pictures outside of their house...LOL!)

Worst Valentine's Meal...Ever!

2010-02-26T16:07:00.000-08:00

This year, for our annual Valentine's dinner, I decided to try a couple of new recipes.

Bad idea.

I made a glazed salmon that I found in one of my Taste Of Home magazines, and it was seriously one of the nastiest things I have ever tasted. Then, I decided to make a red devil cake (cake mix version), but I wanted to make it using a cool Weight Watchers recipe. Essentially, you mix a can of diet soda with the cake mix and VOILA...a tasty, yet low point, treat. Since I didn't have time to run to the store, the only diet drink I had on hand was Diet Mountain Dew. No problem. The batter tasted quite good so I thought this would be a hit. Nope! Apparently, Diet Mt. Dew and chocolate cake mix do not taste so good once baked. Even the kids wouldn't eat it!

We all just had to laugh. Oh well! Lessons learned!

These pictures were taken BEFORE we tasted our nasty dinner:

At least my jello jigglers and ice cubes worked!

***
Thankfully, our Valentine's Date was a success!

The Friday before Valentine's a local church offered a Parent's Night Out, so for a grand total of $10.00, Jared and I got babysitting services for 4 hours...YAY! We decided to just get some food to-go and rent a movie. Our romantic movie of choice? Zombieland...and yes, it was awesome. I also got a really pretty rose that Detroit helped pick. It was a great night!

Shakira in Diapers

2010-02-15T11:45:00.001-08:00

Last night I was grading papers for University of Phoenix and Jared calls me out to come watch the NBA All-Star Halftime Show...he and Joaquin had already started to watch it, but thanks to the gloriousness of DVR, they were able to rewind it. As it was getting ready to start, Joaquin was shouting something about the "ladies" and "diapers." I said, "Are the ladies wearing diapers?" He excitedly confirms that yes indeed the ladies are wearing diapers! I give Jared a funny look and ask if they are wearing something that resembles diapers and he says no. So we laugh at Joaquin's silliness and start watching. About 30 seconds into it, Joaquin starts yelling about ladies and diapers again, and then it hits me...

Apparently, the new "no pants" craze among female musicians looks like a diaper to my 2 1/2 year old. Hilarious!

Hot Chocolate (Mix) is Yummy!

2010-02-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday Detroit was too sweet and got Joaquin up and out of bed so mom and dad could sleep in. It was heaven!

Then, we saw what had happened in our absence...

Apparently, Joaquin decided to make himself some hot chocolate and it was "deewishus."

It's Hard to be Loved

2010-02-11T12:29:00.000-08:00

One night Detroit and Joaquin were kept happy for a long while chasing the cats and trying to contain them both in this laundry hamper. Then they would cuddle them. Of course the cats would escape and the process would start all over.

I guess for kids sometimes "love" and "torture" mean the same thing...

Detroit Is Famous

2010-02-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

Last week Detroit got to go to the local radio station and record a public service announcement for Girl Scout cookie sales. She had so much fun touring the station and recording in the studio. The gentleman who worked with her said we might have a future DJ on our hands! (A Kallunki who likes talking? What?! hee hee)

She sounded so cute, I just had to post her PSA here.

Laundry Baskets & Cupboards

2010-01-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

Today I left the front room for just a couple of minutes to put away some laundry, and when I came back Joaquin had climbed into the laundry hamper. Apparently this is a really fun place to hang out since he stayed in there for almost an hour. He was delighted when one of his favorite shows...The Backyardigans...came on and he realized he could watch it while sitting in the hamper.

This is pure joy:

Yesterday Joaquin also discovered that it is great fun to sit in the kitchen cupboard. While I was cooking dinner he climbed in...and stayed for quite a while. My first thought was...can you guess?

A Christmas Story!

He looked so cute sitting in there! Tonight he was upset, so Jared just opened the cupboard door and in he went. Cheered him right up!

I Need a Napkin in my Hand

2010-01-26T19:48:00.000-08:00

Joaquin is full of funny tidbits, and I thought I should write some down before I forget...

I guess I say "Oh my gosh!" a lot when he tells me things, so now he is ordering me to say "Oh my gosh!" if I forget. He will often yell at me to say it faster as well.

Last night he was crying in his sleep. Jared went in to see what was wrong and Joaquin said, "I need a napkin in my hand."

We went through a phase were he wanted medicine before bed. We started giving him "water medicine," which is water in a medicine cup. Works like a charm! We also used that strategy when he started demanding juice at bedtime...just fill a cup with water and call it "water juice." Once again, a happy boy.

Joaquin still loves to yell "What the hell?!" at inappropriate times. Thankfully he has the intonation down perfectly. I guess if your two year old is going to say it, he might as well say it right!

He loves to pretend his name is "Jophes." (Jared asked him if his name was Joseph once and Joaquin thought that was hilarious!)

And I am sure there are so many more that I cannot remember at this moment! :)

Pork Chops and Lemon Meringue Pie

2010-01-14T12:25:00.001-08:00

HaPpY bIrThDaY
JARED!!!

We had a really nice time celebrating Jared's birthday...and thankfully he's easy to please. His only birthday requests were pork chops and lemon meringue pie!

Yummy!

This is how happy pork chops make Jared:

Celebrating the big 3-4!

PRESENTS!
(Soundgarden CD, New Mexico Past & Present book & an Atlas...what more could a man want?!)

Happy New Year...It's 2010!

2010-01-04T21:09:00.001-08:00

Wow, I really can't believe it is 2010! We rang in the New Year with some great friends...The Christensen Family, The Brimhall Family and the Price Family. We have been so lucky and have made such wonderful friends here in Roswell.

We had a fun night playing Apples to Apples, eating lots of good food, and of course playing a little Rock Band...with Jared singing of course!

(Too bad I didn't take a single picture!)

We are looking forward to a great year!

Thank Goodness It's A New Year

2010-01-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

Sadly, as I am sure all fans of the Kallunki Family Blog have noticed, it has been well over a year since I have posted anything on our blog. I have decided it is time to stop messing around and get back to business.

Since I am a bit of an obsessive freak, I have saved spots for all of the posts that I am missing...I HAVE to have them in order, so while I am going to keep the blog current from here on out, I will also be going back to add in all the wonderful memories that I did not post.

Here's to a new year...2010 here I come!

December Moments (2008)

2010-01-02T17:09:00.001-08:00

Here are a few fun moments from December of '08:

We had a Christmas Party at church and Santa came to visit with the children. Joaquin would get no closer than this to Santa. He really wanted to give the Big Guy "knucks," but it is a little difficult from several feet to connect fists. I really wish I would have gotten the picture with Joaquin's little arm outstretched and Santa's arm stretched trying to connect for a knuck moment. Oh well! This is the only photo I was able to snap before Joaquin ran away.

****
This was a cute moment between the kids. They were hanging out on the couch and Detroit was helping Joaquin with his "glare." (Some of you might remember that Detroit had an AWESOME glare when she was a toddler.) She gave him the glare (while he giggled), and then he gave her a great glare while she was looking at the camera.

(December 17)

****

Since we spent Christmas in San Ramon (CA) this year, we decided to have an early Christmas in Roswell so we didn't have to haul all the presents with us. The kids were so excited to get some of their gifts before Christmas...at least Detroit was.

(December 21)

Mom & Me Slumber Party

2010-01-02T17:04:00.003-08:00

In early December ('08) Girl Scouts offered a Mom and Me Slumber Party event in Carlsbad. We had a great time and were able to go see The Nutcracker, play games, make crafts, watch movies and we even got to take a river cruise along the Pecos to see all of the Holiday lights.

In addition to having a great time with my daughter I had a fabulous time with two of the moms in my GS troop...Nicole and Maria. Little did we know that the Slumber Party would be the beginning of a great friendship!

Moms and girls after the river cruise:

Maria & Lizzie, Me & Detroit, Melissa (I was her fill-in mom), and Nicole & Briana

Christmas on the Pecos river cruise:

No Christmas scene is complete without reference to Roswell aliens!

One of the events of the night was a fashion show. The mothers had to help the daughters make a lovely outfit out of wrapping paper. It was a lot of fun...and some of the outfits turned out really cute. Here is Detroit modeling her beautiful gown:

All of the girls in their "fashion" attire:

(Detroit, Melissa, Lizzie & Briana)

During this trip, the girls really hit it off. Detroit loves her GS friends!

Detroit, Briana and Lizzie playing games before bedtime:

(December 6)

A Mustached Thanksgiving (2008)

2010-01-02T17:04:00.001-08:00

For some reason, Jared and Detroit decided that we needed to have a themed Thanksgiving this year. After searching high and low, we finally found our inspiration...Sponge Bob. One of our favorite scenes in the Spongebob Movie is when Patrick and Spongebob become men...by putting on seaweed mustaches. The song that follows that event is pure genius and inspired us to have a mustache Thanksgiving.

Of course when my two youngest brothers found out that we were having a mustache Thanksgiving, they decided they had to come join in the fun. It was so much fun having them here, and they had really awesome mustaches!

"Now that we're men, we have facial hair..."

How can anyone look so cute with a mustache?!

Detroit, Joaquin and I had to have a little marker help with our mustaches, which equals pure awesomeness!

Jared decided to go a little crazy...

Detroit was so delighted by her mustache!

Apparently Joaquin was not.

It's hard having a mustache.

Ryan and Brett were also delighted by their mustaches...

***UFO Museum***

Before the boys left town they decided they had to do the alien tour of Roswell. Detroit tagged along and had so much fun with her uncles. They went to several tourist shops as well as the UFO Museum.

Ryan and Detroit

Brett and Detroit

Who can resist this guy?!

***Martin's Capitol Cafe***

No trip to New Mexico is complete without eating New Mexican food. Here is our favorite place in town:

Ryan and Joaquin

Joaquin (November 2008)

2010-01-02T13:14:00.001-08:00

There was nothing Joaquin enjoyed more at 18 months old than eating, getting messy and taking baths. Here is a particularly fun time he had with his spaghetti...

As much as Joaquin enjoyed the bath, he also enjoyed being "swaddled" in a bath towel. He could sit like this for hours...

Trip to Alabama...Fun with Friends (November 2008)

2009-04-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

In November, we were able to take a trip to Alabama. We had not been back since we moved in 2005, so we were really excited! To top it off, we made it in time to go to Woodland Forrest Elementary School's (where I used to teach) Fall Festival. It was so much fun to see some of my previous students. I even saw a couple of kids who were in my very first kindergarten class...who at the time of our trip were in 9th grade!

While there we stayed with our wonderful friends, Brad and Andrea Schlomer. It was so much fun to hang out with them and their two daughters! Detroit and Joaquin had so much fun with Olivia and Ella!

Ella

Joaquin & Olivia

Detroit & Olivia

While there, we also got to see some more of our favorite people and Detroit got to hang out with her very first best friend! Detroit and Emmie were born only a month apart and since her mom (Katie) and I worked at the same school, they were destined to be best buds! It was so fun going back and seeing these two girls pick up where they left off three years earlier!

Emmie, Jack & Detroit

Diaz Family
(What family portrait is complete without Jared in it?!)

Pablo & Jared
(Not sure what else to even say about this picture!)

Barnett Family
(Notice that my family enjoys being in other people's family pictures?)

We also got to sneak in a little visit to our favorite Indian food restaurant with two more of our awesome friends...Amanda and Tobi!

***ROLL TIDE!!!***

Although we didn't get to catch a game while in Bama, we did get to hang around the quad for some game day fun. Wow! We sure do miss living in Tuscaloosa and going to Bama games!

Cutest BAMA fans ever!

Of course, no trip to Alabama is complete without a visit to our favorite BBQ place!

***Birmingham***

We were also able to take a day trip to Birmingham to go see the Civil Rights Institute. It is truly an experience and a real eye opener for Detroit.

16th Street Baptist Church

***Cousins***

On our way home, we were able to swing through Dallas, and Detroit got to hang out with her cousins for a few hours before we headed home.

(Detriot, Allie, Riley & Josh)

Halloween

2008-12-08T15:39:00.001-08:00

This year I decided to re-use the costume I made for Joaquin last year. Detroit was a good sport and agreed to be a carrot and I was a tomato. Jared was supposed to be the farmer, but he had to work late, so he was a farmer in a suit. We went to a couple of trunk-or-treat activities in town, and the kids had a really good time and got lots of candy.

A cute little pea pod:

A cute little carrot:

This is how Joaquin felt about putting on his costume:

...and this is what Joaquin looked like after he got a hold of some chocolate:

This is what Joaquin's costume looked like at the end of the night. I don't even remember how many times he fell down. Apparently it is difficult to run while wearing a gigantic pea pod.

October Fun

2008-12-08T14:51:00.001-08:00

Crazy Hair Day:

Detroit had crazy hair day at school and we decided to try and do her hair like they do at the Corvette Diner in San Diego. We couldn't quite figure it out, so we just made it up. It turned out really cute.

Vacuum Hose Hair:

Joaquin found it very funny to use the vacuum hose on his hair. Of course, Detroit and Jared had to have a turn too.

Joaquin and Detroit:

Joaquin at 17 months:

Joaquin

2008-12-08T13:57:00.001-08:00

I love this picture of Joaquin. He was talking on his phone.

(Sept. 15)

I still find Joaquin's hair to be extremely humorous. It is really fuzzy and coarse in the back and then long at the bottom. (And this was taken in September, so it is even longer now.)

(Sept. 19)

Cloudcroft, NM

2008-12-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

In September, Jared had to go to Cloudcroft to give a presentation for New Mexico Legal Aid. He got to stay at a resort there called The Lodge. We decided to take the family and spend some time there since he would only be needed for the presentation. It is beautiful there and we hope to go back some time.

We were able to climb up into the tower and get a view of the city. It is in the mountains and the view was beautiful. Unfortunately, the picture doesn't do it justice.

Detroit and Joaquin in the tepee in front of The Lodge.

(Joaquin did not want to be in the tepee.)

(September 13)

Nap Time Buddy

2008-12-01T21:40:00.001-08:00

One day when I walked in to get Joaquin up from his nap I discovered that he had a buddy in his crib. Her name is Bama and she is a pain in the rear. Joaquin was delighted to find her in his crib. I was not.

(August 31)

Detroit's First Day of Third Grade

2008-12-01T21:29:00.001-08:00

This is Detroit on her first day of school. She goes to Valley View Elementary and loves it. I still can't believe she is in third grade! (And now she is almost halfway through third grade!) She picked out her very own outfit for the first day...I think she did well.

August 13, 2008

Carlsbad

2008-12-01T21:17:00.000-08:00

In early August we were able to meet our friends (Brian, Kelli, Miles & Otis) in Carlsbad. We went to a park, walked through Carlsbad Caverns, watched the Bat Flight and camped. It was tons of fun!

Detroit and her buddy Miles.

High Chair Activities

2008-12-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

In the twelve or so months Joaquin has actually been able to sit in a high chair, this is the only time he has ever fallen asleep in his chair.

(August 5)

Joaquin's usual high chair activities include yelling and throwing food OR yelling and smearing food on his face.

(August 17)

More Step Stool Fun

2008-12-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

I know I already did a post about the joy Joaquin experiences when standing on a stool, but I couldn't resist putting these pictures on as well.

It is apparent that the only thing better than standing on a stool is eating a cracker while standing on a stool.

(photos taken August 1)

Good Times in July

2008-11-29T07:56:00.000-08:00

Here's a bunch of pictures from the rest of July:

Towards the end of July, Jared had to get ready to go out of town for a Law Conference. I walked into the bedroom and discovered this beautiful sight. They were both reading an overview of a case. Detroit read the whole thing, and enjoyed it very much.

I love the concentration evident on Detroit's face.

***

Joaquin's first steps. He basically staggered around like a drunk man for a few weeks and then took off running. He hasn't stopped since.

(Pictures taken July 20 - Joaquin at 14 1/2 months)

Learning to walk is hilarious!

***

Joaquin enjoys getting his body into any container he can find:

There is also no greater joy than to stand on a step stool.

***

Detroit really enjoys hanging out with her brother.

Good Times in Provo

2008-11-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

We had a really good time hanging out in Provo this summer...and I finally got all of our pictures from the trip posted to the blog!!!

Detroit, Joaquin and I got to spend a lot of time with Jared's family. It was really nice. I have so many relative there that sometimes it is hard to just focus on Jared's family. We had a lot of fun together. Unfortunately I did not take one single picture of his brothers and sister.

In addition to having Jared's family there, I have three brothers and a sister-in-law who currently live in Provo. I did take some pictures of them. We got to spend some time at Cameron and Natalie's house. The kids had a good time playing in their backyard and seeing their dogs Scout and Atticus. We also got to visit our ferret who became a permanent part of Cameron and Natalie's household when we moved to California (after spending some quality time with my parents).

I just thought the hair extending over Joaquin's left ear was funny.

(Scout)

(Atticus)
*I love this picture*

Detroit & Marie Louise
(I am so glad we have these pictures, because unfortunately Marie Louise passed away not too long ago.)

***

Yummy Treats

Of course, when I am with my family we always have to get yummy treats. One of my favorite places in Provo is Smart Cookie. They put delicious ice cream on two delicious cookies and you have an awesome treat.

(Cinnamon ice cream on Snickerdoodles)

Cameron loves Smart Cookie as much as I do...maybe more!

Eating yummy dogs at J Dawgs. Delicious!

Cousins (Provo)

2008-11-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

Cooper Kids

My cousin Holli brought her kids and met up with us in Provo. We spent the day at the pool and then went our for gelato that night. As you can see, the kids really enjoyed their yummy treat.

(Fisher)

Riley and Detroit were much too busy eating to pose for the camera. Fisher, on the other hand, was not.

(Detroit, Fisher, Riley)

Singing praises to gelato...

Kallunki Cousins

Detroit got to spend the night with Autumn and Summer. She had a wonderful time! Besides hanging out with these cousins, we had a wonderful day at the pool with Alisha, Austin, Miranda and Jace. Too bad I didn't take any pictures. It was so much fun to see all of the cousins.

(Joaquin, Autumn, Detroit & Summer)

Friends in Provo

2008-11-28T14:27:00.000-08:00

After spending time in Idaho, we headed back to Provo to spend a few more days before heading back to Roswell. While in Provo, we hooked up with our friends Kgordon & Camille Jones and Brian (Bri-Bri) & Kelli Isakson at the park.

Otis Isakson
(*Somehow I did not get a picture of Miles!)

Jane and Josh Jones

Joaquin also decided to take his first step while we were at the park.

(photos taken July 9)
Joaquin - 14 months old

Lava Hot Springs (Idaho)

2008-11-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

If you ever find yourself in Soda Springs, make sure you visit Lava Hot Springs. It is a nifty pool that uses the natural hot springs to make it warm. It is a fun place and the kids really enjoyed it. My mom and brother got to come to, so it was tons of fun!

Joaquin was a tiny bit overwhelmed at first.

Luckily, Uncle Ryan was there to help him get into the groove.
(I know you can't see the first picture, but I thought it was a cool professional photographer kind of picture...and since I think I am one, I had to include it.)

Joaquin loved his boat!

Since Joaquin has clear hair (as Jared calls it), we had to make sure his scalp didn't get a sun burn. I think he looks pretty cute in this hat.

Detroit loves to go swimming, and especially loves her goggles...

Croquet & S'Mores (Idaho)

2008-09-19T09:22:00.003-07:00

My grandparents have always owned a cabin out on Blackfoot Reservoir in Soda Springs, ID. I have so many fantastic memories associated with this place! A couple of days after the fourth, we decided to go spend a day at the cabin. The kids had a great time playing together and Joaquin really enjoyed the attention he got from his cousins.

(Poor Detroit was having a little bit of a reaction to her sunscreen.)

Detroit got some croquet tips from Grandpa.

spider webs and baby birds:

Hot Dogs, S'Mores & Sparklers:

There is almost nothing I enjoy more than cooking hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire. And there is great joy to be had in making s'mores with toasty, golden marshmallows. We ended the evening making hot dogs and s'mores. Unfortunately for Detroit, she grabbed the end of her metal hot dog stick while trying to get the hot dog off. She did not enjoy her experience nearly as much after that. Poor little girl got a pretty serious little burn, but she was a trooper (as long as we kept her hand iced). Thankfully we had sparklers so we ended the evening on a happy note.

OUCH!!!

(Hayley, does this remind you of when I put my hand on the electric burner in our apartment?)

After a looooooong day, Joaquin was totally and utterly exhausted!

Foam Fun (Idaho)

2008-09-19T09:22:00.002-07:00

The day after the fourth, the fighfighters in Soda Springs fill up a field at the park with foam. It is one of the funnest things we have ever done. The kids LOVE it! In fact, the adults love it too. There were plenty of grown men running and sliding through the foam on their bellies.

Sunscreen Hair

Initially, Joaquin was not excited by the foam, but it didn't take long before he started to enjoy it.

A Foam-Hawk

More Foam Fun:

Uncle Ryan

Allie, Detroit, Ryan & Josh

Josh, Ryan, Detroit, Joaquin, Tiesha, Cammie (my aunt), Allie

Fourth of July (Idaho)

2008-09-19T09:22:00.001-07:00

I have WONDERFUL memories of spending the Fourth of July in Idaho when I was little. It was fun to be able to take my kids and enjoy the festivities in the small town of Soda Springs.

THE BREAKFAST:

Every year that we have spent the Fourth in Soda, we get up early and go to the Lion's Club (?) pancake breakfast in the park. It is a yummy breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage. My grandpa likes to go around 6:30, but thankfully this year, we talked him into 8:00. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of this delicious experience.

THE PARADE:

I don't know if all small towns still do this, but the best part of the parade in Soda Springs is the CANDY!!! They throw tons of candy to the kids and it is a wild scramble to get as much candy as you can before the next float comes. Watching Detroit reminded me of the first time she experienced a pinata. Yikes. She is not very aggressive and gets overly excited so she spent most of the time prancing from candy piece to candy piece flapping her arms but not actually picking any up. (For anyone that has seen her do an Easter Egg Hunt...you know what I am talking about.) The three-years olds next to us already had half a grocery bag full and Detroit had four pieces. It is a good thing Ryan and I were there to give her some lessons and encourage her (RUN!!! PICK UP AS MANY AS YOU CAN! KNOCK THE SMALL CHILDREN DOWN!) It was all very grown-up! Lucky for her she also had her grandma, great-grandma and aunts collecting for her as well. Thankfully, she ended up with as much (or nearly as much) as her cousins.

THE FESTIVITIES IN THE PARK:

All day long there were fun activities in the park for the kids. They had a good time playing games and winning prizes. At one point there was an announcement that all kids who were going to ride the mini-bulls should come to the arena. Detroit was conviced that she wanted to ride a mini-bull. (By the way, they are not that mini.) Can you really imagine Detroit riding a bull? I didn't think so. Somehow we convinced her that it wouldn't be like riding a pony at a carnival. They run fast and kick hard and when you fall off it really hurts. It still would have been pretty funny to get a picture of her on a mini-bull...maybe next time.

FIREWORKS:

After a long day, we all gathered at Kelley Park to watch Fireworks.

Joaquin's Glorious Kisses:

Detroit and her Cousins:

(Josh, Riley & Allie Fisher)

Idaho (July)

2008-09-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

The kids and I got to spend several days in Idaho visiting Great-Grandparents. My parents were also there and my brother Ryan. We all had a great time together over the Fourth of July weekend.

Grandpa Boyd & Grandma June

(my mom's parents)

Grandma Polly

(My dad's mom)

Trip to Utah & Idaho 6.29-7.15

2008-08-01T11:52:00.001-07:00

We took a little break from unpacking/remodeling and took a vacation. At least the kids and I did...poor Jared had to work. We drove to Utah and got to spend time with Jared's family and my brothers. We also went to Idaho to see my grandparents and parents. We had a great time and to top it all off, Jared and I got these AWESOME bikes!

Thanks Jennie!

2008-08-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to have my mother-in-law come and spend about 5 weeks with us. She met me in San Diego and drove with the kids and myself to Roswell. Then she helped us move in, unpack, sort through everything that was already in the house, have a garage sale, renovate our kitchen and the list goes on. She is a wonderful person and I am so thankful for all of her help and for the time we got to spend together!

Joaquin's First Time in the Pool

2008-08-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

We had a ward (church) pool party at the end of June. Since Joaquin LOVES being in the bathtub, I assumed he would enjoy the pool. Apparantely I was mistaken.

*click on the picture and you'll get the full glory of Joaquin's expression.

Goose Kallunki

2008-08-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

Our nephew graduated from high school on June 4th. We sure wish we could have been there!

We are soooo proud of you Goose!!!

Goose and Family

(I swiped this picture from my sister-in-laws blog...Thanks Lisa!)

Praying Mantis

2008-08-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Since we bought our house fully furnished all of our own boxes of stuff had to be stored outside and in the carport. (In fact, we still have a bunch of boxes in the carport!) One morning I went out to go through some boxes and found a baby Praying Mantis hanging out on one of the boxes. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen! It was also extremely cool...I have never seen a Praying Mantis in "real life." I have only seen them behind glass at the zoo.

Before and After

2008-07-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

We bought a cute little house in Roswell that has three bedrooms, one bathroom and a what used to be a really small/unfunctional kitchen. (By the way, we bought the house fully furnished so none of the stuff in the "first" kitchen was ours.)

Here is what the kitchen looked like:

(entry way from the hall)

(This is it! That is all there was to the kitchen.)

(Notice how close our fridge and back door are!)

*****

...And here is our NEW kitchen!!! Hooray!!

complete with a pantry (built into the entry way)

...and a butcher block island (w/wheels)!!!

To get our new kitchen, we (by we I mean Don our contractor) had to tear out the wall seperating the dining area and the kitchen. Also, the back wall of our house had to be torn out and replaced. It was quite a project and Don did a fantastic job!

*I will post more pictures of the rest of our house soon.

Best Friends

2008-07-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

Since we had to go to San Diego to get all of our stuff out of storage, we decided to stay a few days and visit friends. Detroit's most exciting day was when she got to go to school with her best friend, Isabella. She was so excited to be an honorary student at Vista La Mesa (her old school). Of course, she and Bella had to wear Best Friends t-shirts! It was a really special day for Detroit and Bella.

The hardest part of the whole weekend, was saying goodbye to my parents. My mom and I were inseperable for 10 months and it was hard to leave them. I will forever be glad for the time we were able to spend with them!

(photos taken May 26 & 27)

Saying Goodbye to Our Friends in San Ramon!

2008-07-30T14:10:00.001-07:00

School Friends

Janika

Noelle

Cannon

Jazzercise Friends

Joaquin LOVED his babysitter, Sudah. He was with her from the time he was 3 months old; four mornings a week. We were so lucky to have her at Jazzercise!

My awesome instructor, Deborah

Detroit's Open House/ Last Day of School

2008-07-30T13:59:00.001-07:00

May 22nd was Detroit's Open House, and also her last day of school before the move to Roswell. Here she is with her 2nd grade teacher, Mr. Miller.

The kids sang a cute song and each held up signs of what they wanted to be when they grow up. She couldn't decide whether she wanted to be a zookeeper or a veteranarian...so why not be a zoo vet?

Joaquin Loves Drawers (pre-move)

2008-07-30T13:49:00.001-07:00

While I was busy packing I realized that Joaquin was being awfully quiet. I discovered him in the bathroom, sitting in one of the drawers.

(photos taken May 21)

We Are Connected!

2008-06-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

Wow! We have been without internet service for awhile now and it is amazing how disconnected from the world you become - especially when you don't have TV either. We have finally been reconnected to the world...we got internet and TV this week - hallelujah!

Quick Update: We are now in Roswell. We have moved into our house and are currently remodeling the kitchen and bathroom (thanks to Jennie Kallunki). It has been crazy, but I am sooooo excited for our new kitchen and bathroom. Also a BIG thank you to Matt and Lisa Kallunki (and family) for their very generous gift card to Home Depot. We have been able to get so many things we needed for the house and thank you cannot even begin to express how thankful we are to them and my mother-in-law. We love you guys!

liveonthego.com

2008-05-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

Just have to say that I LOVE this site. We order Thai food all the time from our favorite restaurant through Live On The Go. They also occasionally offer deals - like on Mother's Day I got a $5.00 off coupon, so of course I had to order from my favorite restaurant! Just order from home and specify the time you will be there to pick it up. You pay online, so everything is done and all you have to do is go get the food! I sure hope I will be able to use this site in Roswell (there are many restaurants on it), but sadly, I already know we won't be able to get Thai food. Maybe I'll have to get some today...

http://liveonthego.com/

Unhappy Baby

2008-05-21T15:35:00.001-07:00

Apparently Joaquin does NOT enjoy Cream of Wheat!

Spitting the offensive cereal out:

Now that the cereal is smeared all over his face and high chair, Joaquin is content.

Ella Schlomer

2008-05-13T21:52:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to our Alabama friends (The Schlomers) on their newest arrival! Olivia is one proud big sister! We love you Brad and Andrea, and hopefully we will actually get to see Ella while it is still 2008! (Keep your fingers crossed.)

May 8th

My Little Vampire

2008-05-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Joaquin finally started to get another tooth, but I was surprised to find that it wasn't a top middle tooth, but a little fang! It is just barely poking through and his other fang is right on the verge of coming through. I can't wait until they come in a little more. I hope I can get some good pictures before his other top teeth come in.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T23:39:00.000-07:00

Thank you to my wonderful husband for sending me beautiful flowers! Only a couple of weeks until we are together again!

Joaquin's Birthday Party

2008-05-11T15:21:00.001-07:00

My brothers (and sister-in-law) decided to all come and visit so we worked it out that they would all be here for Joaquin's first birthday. It was so much fun having all of my siblings here! My cousin Jordan also happened to be in town so he was able to join us for the festivities as well. We also invited Detroit's friend Noelle and her mom, Mary. We had quite a crowd! We only wish Jared could have been here too. We will just have to do another 1st birthday party when we get to Roswell!

The Birthday Boy:

Since we had an Elmo party, Joaquin had to have an Elmo birthday hat. Elmo is truly one of the cutest creatures out there and lucky for us, my brother Cameron can do his voice perfectly. It was like Elmo was actually at the party!

Detroit loved helping Joaquin open his presents. In fact she volunteered to do it for the next few years.

The whole family (minus Jared):

Grandpa, Jordan, Mom & Joaquin, Cameron, Michelle

Grandma, Brett, Detroit, Ryan & Natalie

Everybody's Party Faces:

Grandpa

Natalie & Ryan

Grandma, Jordan & Brett

Noelle & Mary

Cameron

Michelle

Time to Blow Out the Candles:

(of course, Detroit was kind enough to help)

The Party Cake & Joaquin's Elmo Cake

I made Joaquin's cake and I was quite proud of the end results!

Joaquin and His Cake:

The Bath in the Kitchen Sink:

In creating a RED cake, I completely did not think about what it would look like when Joaquin was finished. It was too bad we did not have yellow crime scene tape because the end results were quite gruesome (and hilarious) ... POOR ELMO!

The Suspect:

The Crime Scene:

The Victim:

May 7, 2008

2008-05-08T00:53:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, a 7lb. 2oz. bundle of energy came into our lives. We are so thankful that we have a wonderful baby boy...who is already growing up too quickly!

Then and Now:

Happy 1st Birthday Joaquin!

Muir Woods National Monument

2008-05-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

My youngest brother Ryan came into town in early May and we decided to go visit Muir Woods National Monument which is a Redwood Forest here in California.

This tree was outside the entrance to Muir Woods and I thought it was really cool. It reminded me of Fern Gully (kid's movie about fairies in the rain forest).

I wish pictures actually did justice to how tall these trees were. It was incredible!

This is a slice of the trunk of one of the Redwood trees that fell in 1930. The tree has been around since 909 A.D!

More pictures of Muir Woods...

Lars And The Real Girl

2008-05-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

I just saw this movie last night and LOVED it!

(Does anyone else think he kind of looks like my husband in this picture?)

The Story of the Cowboy and the Ghost

2008-05-03T20:16:00.001-07:00

Michelle has a friend that she was writing a letter to, and Detroit decided she wanted to write something to him as well. So she decided to write him a story. I have typed it exactly as she wrote it (just in case you can't read the scanned one):

The story of the cowboy and the ghost

This is a story. This is how it starts.

There was a cowboy. He rode on his horse untill he bumped into a cactus. It started to rain. He saw a glimmer of light. It was a hotel. He spoke to the manager. He said "Do you have a room where I can spend the night?" "No. Exept for one that's haunted." said the manager. "I don't believe that stuff." The cowboy said. He opened that door of 448. The door of the bathroom said, Danger Alert Alert! He brushed his teeth and spit in the trash. He went to sleep. He heard "Now I Got you where I want you Now I'm going to eat you." We woke up. He went back to sleep. "Now I got you where I want you now I'm going to eat you." The next night he slept he heard "Now I got you where I want you now I'm going to eat you." Next morning He said "I'm going to find out what is in the bathroom." He opened the door and saw a.....GHOST sitting on the toilet with.......a BOOGER in his hand. "Now I got you where I want you now I'm going to eat you."

I am not sure which I enjoy more: reading the story she wrote or hearing her tell it!

Offer Accepted!

2008-04-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah!

We made an offer on a home and last night we officially accepted the counter-offer. We are so excited. We close on the 2oth of May and are planning on moving around the 23rd. We will have to go to San Diego first to get all of our stuff (and of course visit our friends) and then we will head to Roswell shortly after Memorial Day.

Jared G. Kallunki, Esquire

2008-04-27T00:40:00.001-07:00

I recently got an email from Jared from his work and this is what his signature line looks like:

Jared G. Kallunki, Esq.
New Mexico Legal Aid, Inc.
200 West First Street, Suite 200
Roswell, New Mexico 88201

Awesome!!!

Trip to Roswell, NM (4/13 - 4/21)

2008-04-27T00:36:00.002-07:00

We recently went on a house hunting trip to Roswell. This time I brought both kids and my mom. It was nice for Detroit to see where she is going to live. We had a nice trip and of course the highlight was going to Santa Fe to see Jared officially sworn in as an attorney. We also found a couple of houses that we liked! Thank you so much to my mom for going with me to help with the kids. It was fun being with her! I can't believe that in about a month Roswell will be my new home. It will certainly be a new and exciting adventure!

Trip to Roswell - "Swearing In" Ceremony

2008-04-27T00:36:00.001-07:00

On Monday, April 21st, Jared was officially "sworn in" as an attorney for the state of New Mexico. It was very exciting and I was so happy that the kids and I got to be there for this important event. My mom also got to come and I know it meant alot to Jared that we were all there. We are so proud of him!

Trip to Roswell - Santa Fe

2008-04-27T00:35:00.003-07:00

After spending the week in Roswell looking at houses, we headed to Santa Fe. Jared was being sworn in there on Monday the 21st so we decided to go on Sunday and spend a little time looking around. It was well worth it! Santa Fe is beautiful and I cannot wait to spend more time there.

First we went downtown and walked around. There are tons of shops as well as a nice plaza. We also saw the Church of Antioch. It is a beautiful Catholic church in downtown Santa Fe. All around the church were incredible statues depicting different Saints. The front door of the church also had an incredible stained glass window.

"Kateri Tekakwitha"

first Indian of North America to be promoted to a Saint

"St. Francis of Assissi"

Patron Saint of Santa Fe

Saint Francis of Assissi - Dancing on Water

Other cool pictures from Santa Fe:

"The Roundhouse"

New Mexico's State Capitol Building

Trip to Roswell - Family Night at McDonald's

2008-04-27T00:35:00.001-07:00

We discovered that the most exciting thing in the world is that every Thursday is Family Night at the UFO-shaped McDonald's in Roswell. The hamburger kid's meal is 1.50 and they have activities for the kids. Detroit was thrilled. She already has plans to attend Family Night once we move there. Her favorite activity was the face painting. She chose to be...a tiger, of course!

Trip to Roswell - baby Otis

2008-04-27T00:34:00.000-07:00

On April 13th, the kids, my mom and myself headed out to Roswell for a house hunting trip. Of course to get to Roswell we have to fly into Albuquerque where we get to see some of our favorite friends...the Isaksons! This time was especially fun since we got to meet the newest member of their family. This is Otis and he is adorable.

Here is Detroit and Bri-Bri (as we have called him since Detroit was teensy). Detroit loves this guy. In fact just the other day, Detroit and I were remembering some of our good times in Alabama and they all seemed to involve Brian. We are so lucky to have such a good friend and even luckier now that he has such an awesome wife and kids!

Joaquin's Tongue

2008-04-27T00:33:00.001-07:00

Joaquin recently discovered his tongue and enjoys crawling around with it hanging out of his mouth.

Mount Diablo State Park

2008-04-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

During the time that Jennie (Grandma Kallunki) and Jared were here we decided to drive up Mount Diablo and walk around a bit. It is a beautiful mountain and isn't very far away from us.

Detoit loves her grandparents!

Going for a hike with grandpa and daddy.

This was a really cool "climbing tree":

It's Great To Be Eight!

2008-04-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 12th, Detroit was baptized.

I cannot believe my baby is eight years old! Everyday I look at her and see that she is growing up just a little bit more. Her baptism was beautiful and she got to share the experience with four other children in our ward (church group).

Detroit's dad got to baptize her and then her Grandpa confirmed her.

These are our friends that stood in her confirmation circle:

To make the day even more special, Detroit's Grandma Kallunki came to California from Utah and of course, Jared traveled from New Mexico. It was a wonderful, special day and I think she will always remember it.

11 Months Old

2008-04-08T21:23:00.001-07:00

Yesterday came and went and I didn't get a chance to post, but Joaquin is now 11 months old. Only one month to go and he will be a year old. I cannot believe it. He changes so much all the time now. He definitely has crawling down pat, but his form is rather hilarious. He keeps both of his arms stiff and straight and only moves each knee about one-inch at a time. He looks like those dolls that crawl. I keep meaning to get video of it, because you never know how long it will last. Now that Joaquin can crawl he enjoys getting into everything...especially if it is NOT his toys. He also likes chasing the cats. As of right now, they tolerate him pretty well. Besides chasing our cats, Joaquin loves dancing to music. It reminds me so much of Detroit at that age. He does the exact same bounce that she used to do.

We are still working on sign language, and I am hoping that any day now he will pick up on "more" and maybe then he will stop screeching. He might have actually done the sign tonight, we will see what happens tomorrow. Knowing him, he will just combine the sign with the screech. He really enjoys being loud!

Joaquin is very happy and very social. Still working on that sleep thing, but I continue to hold out hope that one day soon he will actually fall asleep and stay asleep. (Right now he wakes up like 20 times during the night.) Oh well, I can't complain too much, because Joaquin really is a joy during the daylight hours.

JARED PASSED THE BAR!!!

2008-04-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

We found out this morning that Jared passed the New Mexico bar! Hallelujah!!! He will be sworn in on Monday, April 21st in Santa Fe.

Congratulations honey...we are so proud of you!

April Fools!

2008-04-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

I learned this one from my mother-in-law...

I replaced the creme from inside Oreos with toothpaste.

When Detroit got home from school today I gave her an after school snack of Oreos and milk. She took a bite and looked confused. Then she took another nibble and said, "This kind of tastes like toothpaste.?" There was a hint of wonder to her voice. Then she took another nibble and said, "This is so weird...it tastes like toothpaste!" It took several nibbles before she finally figured out that she was being tricked. It was so funny!

Then at dinner I offered Detroit a plate of spaghetti and miniature meatballs. (Pound cake covered with "spaghetti" frosting, strawberry syrup and whoppers.) She was not impressed by my sense of humor. Oh well...

Spring Break

2008-03-31T22:23:00.001-07:00

WHEW!!! I am glad Spring Break is finally over! As you can tell by all the posts I finally got up, we were very busy! My Aunt Marchell (my mom's sister), Uncle Jay and cousin, Brandon, came from Indiana to see our family over spring break. Of course, they wanted to see all the San Francisco sights, so we obliged. We had a great time together. I am so glad the kids and I could be here to see them.

Thankfully Detroit returned to school this week so I could recover from Spring Break!

Spring Break - Cioppino's & Ghirardelli Square

2008-03-31T22:21:00.002-07:00

After our wonderful cruise, we went and ate dinner near Fisherman's Wharf. I had Salmon with pesto that was delicious. (I still have never found a pesto as fabulous as the one my brother-in-law Matt used to make at the family restaurant!) Joaquin enjoyed sucking on the table. It's a wonder he is not constantly sick since anything and everything goes straight into his mouth. My cousin Brandon experienced his first Dungeness crab.

After dinner we headed to Ghirardelli square for a free piece of delicious chocolate and a visit to Kara's cupcakes for yummy, very expensive cupcakes.

Spring Break - Cruise Around the Bay

2008-03-31T22:21:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, we all went on an Adventure Cat cruise around the bay. We went on a catamaran. It was wonderful. Detroit loved the boat and it was cool to sit in the nets on the front of the boat. It was pretty cold and windy, but no one seemed to mind too much...not even Joaquin.

While sailing, we passed this beautiful maxi-catamaran and our captain told us that the group sailing aboard the Gitana 13 just broke the world record for sailing time between New York and San Francisco. They are a French crew that is famous and breaks lots of records. In fact, as we passed them, we found out that they were just leaving on their new quest to break the North Pacific crossing record (San Francisco to Japan). They have to make it in less than 14 days 22 hours 40 minutes and 41 seconds. Good luck Gitana 13!

Detroit had a FANTASTIC time:

We also got to see the Sea Lions at Pier 39 up close and personal:

Spring Break - Alcatraz

2008-03-31T22:19:00.001-07:00

The boat ride to Alcatraz.

Alcatraz Island

The prison.

This cell is the site of a famous escape. No one has ever successfully escaped from Alcatraz, except possibly the men who chipped their way out of this cell with a spoon. No one ever heard from them again. It is assumed they drowned, but their bodies have never been found.

The warden's house.

Spring Break - Winchester Mystery House

2008-03-31T22:18:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, we jetted off to San Jose to see the Winchester Mystery House. This was a house built by Sarah Winchester (of Winchester rifles). She started it in 1884 and for the rest of her life (38 years) the house was constantly under construction. It has 160 rooms, 47 fireplaces, 10,000 window panes, 17 chimneys, 2 basements and 3 elevators. She was preoccupied with the number 13 and many items through the house represent 13 (hooks in a closet, lights in a chandelier) and there are 13 bathrooms. She also loved spider webs and incorporated them throughout the house as well.

Sarah Winchester was only 4'10" and had a door installed just for her. Detroit loved the little door and would like one installed in her room someday.

Many areas of the house were painted black. These were all the areas under construction at the time of Sarah Winchester's death. The picture does not show this clearly, but she was building a wall over a wall and windows that already existed.

Another oddity was that she built stairs that led to the ceiling and closets that opened to walls and even a door that opened to nowhere.

(pointing to the Door to Nowhere)

Apart from the weirdness, the house was absolutely beautiful.

The experience was very cool! Detroit loved the tour and wants to go again sometime.

Spring Break - Golden Gate Bridge

2008-03-31T22:17:00.001-07:00

After spending the day at Golden Gate Park, we decided to visit the Golden Gate Bridge. It is beautiful...and very windy...and very scary! We didn't even make it halfway across before we decided to turn around, but it was definitely a cool experience.

Just as I got close to the edge to look over, Joaquin thrust his pacifier out with his tongue and over it went. We will forever have a little piece of our family left on the Golden Gate Bridge! After that, I made sure to use the pacifier leash.

Spring Break - Golden Gate Park

2008-03-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday we went to Golden Gate Park. It was a beautiful day and our first stop was the Japanese Tea Garden. It was even more beautiful than the last time we went since the trees and bushes were blossoming. Detroit had a lot of fun with Brandon (my cousin).

****

Next, we went to Stowe Lake and Strawberry Hill. It is a pretty little island surrounded by a lake.

While at Stowe Lake, we decided to rent a 6-seater bike to ride around the park. It was a blast...not to mention hilarious. Joaquin and Detroit got to ride up front. Detroit thoroughly enjoyed this experience; Joaquin did not. He ended the ride sitting in my lap. He sure looked cute in his helmet though!

(Take a close look at how much fun Joaquin is NOT having. I am not sure which he hated more - his helmet or riding up front)

(Take a close look at how much fun Detroit is having. It is especially fun when everyone else has to push the bike uphill!)

****

Our next stop was the Dutch Windmill and the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden. WOW!!! I am so glad we got to see the tulips in bloom.

Joaquin and Peas

2008-03-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

Joaquin LOVES food and especially loves feeding himself. He had a really good time with peas the other day. I especially love this picture because you can see his little tooth!

80's Day

2008-03-29T11:32:00.001-07:00

Last week at school, Detroit had 80's Day. She didn't know exactly what that meant...except they told the kids that girls often wore side ponytails. She could not get over that, and kept repeating all day, "In the 80's they wore side ponytails...side ponytails!" (Imagine her saying this increduously.) We put together a fun little outfit with an off the shoulder shirt and double layer slouch socks. (I remember wearing double layer slouch socks in middle school - and thinking how cool it was!) Of course, the finishing touch was a side ponytail!

Detroit's Birthday Party

2008-03-25T00:25:00.000-07:00

We had Detroit's birthday party on Monday of this week. She decided to invite a few friends to go see Horton Hears a Who! The kids LOVED it. It was very cute. When we got back to the house we read the book. Luckily, the Easter Bunny brought it for Joaquin and Detroit for Easter! Then we opened presents and ate cake. Detroit invited her friends Noelle, Cannon, Cammy and Charley. It was a great day and Detroit loved every minute of it!

IHOP and Horton

2008-03-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

In order to celebrate our love for Dr. Seuss and Horton, we decided to go to IHOP to have the Mayor's Breakfast. This consisted of a stack of Who-Cakes and Green Eggs and Ham. We also enjoyed some delicious Beezlenut Juice. We had a wonderful time, especially since Detroit's friend Noelle and her mom, Mary, were able to join us.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T17:05:00.001-07:00

DYING EASTER EGGS:

Detroit and Grandpa had a great time dying Easter Eggs together! I think Detroit could paint eggs all night long if I let her. She is always so disappointed when there are no more left. I also learned a wonderful trick from my friend Saskia and rubbed them with shortening ... and boy did they shine!

EASTER MORNING:

Detroit always dyes a special egg for the Easter Bunny. She then hides the egg for the Easter Bunny to find. She is always delighted to find evidence Easter morning that the Bunny enjoyed the egg.

The Easter Baskets!

It's Official!

2008-03-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

Joaquin is officially crawling. Look out world...here he comes!

(Since he has already tried to stick something in the electrical outlet, I think I am in trouble!)

Otis Cash Isakson

2008-03-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 21

Congratulations Brian, Kelli and Miles on the newest adorable member of your family!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

Detroit was soooooo excited when she got home from school and found that the leprechauns had left evidence of their existence. There was green in the toilet and Detroit's bed was made backwards! Detroit told me how sneaky and silly leprechauns can be, and boy was she right.

Tonight for dinner my mom made us a green feast, complete with green chicken broccoli casserole, green rice, green applesauce and green water. It is amazing that when something is green your brain thinks it should taste different. It was a lot of fun and I love seeing how magical these things are for Detroit.

Happy Engagement!

2008-03-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

Eleven years ago, Jared and I became engaged. We went to a Mongolian BBQ place in Provo (which unfortunately is no longer there) and when they brought the bill and our fortune cookies, mine had a handwritten note inside. It basically said that there was a surprise for me in the car. When we got to the car, I had a rose laying on my seat and another fortune cookie waiting for me. I opened that and it said something like this: "Me want wife. Me want you. What you say baby?" Then Jared got on his knee in the parking lot and asked me to marry him. I still say BYU should name a building after us or something since we dated 2 whole years and were engaged an entire 6 months! Isn't that a record or something?

I am so lucky that I found such an awesome man!

2nd Grade Chorus

2008-03-12T20:57:00.001-07:00

About 7 weeks ago, an invitation came home from school asking for 2nd graders who would like to be in 2nd Grade Chorus. Detroit begged and begged, so finally I agreed. In doing so she committed to being at school at 7:30 (school usually starts at 8:15) every Tuesday. She has really enjoyed it and tonight they performed at our PTA meeting. It was really cute. She totally sings her heart out and likes to close her eyes and place her hand on her throat while she sings. That is how serious she is about her musical talent. She sings all the time. I often try to join in and she immediately stops and says, "Mom! Can I please do this myself?" I am glad she got to have this experience...especially since she's convinced she is going to be on American Idol someday.

*On a side note:
When we pulled up to the school Detroit got very excited because she saw her music teacher. She told us how much she loved her and then went on to say, "She is soooo great. She only screams and yells at us sometimes. Like when we are not doing what we are supposed to. That is so great that she only screams and yells at us sometimes." Wow, that is what every teacher would love to hear about themselves! :)

Funny Girl

2008-03-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Today I was getting ready to go to a conference with Detroit's teacher. My mom had Joaquin downstairs and he was crying a lot. I asked Detroit to go downstairs and help Grandma with Joaquin. This was her response:

Detroit: "Sorry mom. I am giving birth."
Me: "You are giving birth right now?"
Detroit: "I really can't help. I am giving birth."
Me: "Well maybe you can give birth later so you can go help Grandma."
Detroit: "All right, but you should know that I am VERY pregnant."

She gave birth to a beautiful paper girl that was fully clothed and about 6 years old. At least this birth only entailed drawing while "giving birth." I guess this makes me a grandma.

Cute Girl

2008-03-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

I missed this little girl so much when I was in Roswell. We were only apart for 11 days, so I really feel for Jared right now. He and Detroit have always been best buddies. I just have to say how proud I am of Detroit. She is a sweet heart and I couldn't ask for a better kid!

Roswell Incident, 1947

2008-03-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to post my Roswell pictures. Be sure to check them out.

(they are a few posts down)

Miles and Kelli

2008-03-10T23:42:00.000-07:00

Some of our best friends in the world live in Albuquerque...and to get to Roswell you have to fly into Albuquerque. Miles loves Joaquin and it is so cute to see them interact. Miles is about to become a brother (any day now) and I know he will be an awesome big brother. We had such a good time visiting Kelli, Miles and Brian (sorry we didn't get any pictures of you Bri-Bri) - I am excited that we will be living a lot closer!

Awesome Birthday Outfit

2008-03-10T00:45:00.001-07:00

My child's fashion sense simply astounds me! I told her to go put on a cute outfit for her birthday and this is what she comes up with. I was speechless when I saw this awesome creation...especially when I saw the sock and sandal combination. I am sure Vera Wang will be copying this number in no time!

Happy Birthday Detroit!

2008-03-09T11:08:00.004-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE GIRL!!!

Detroit is EIGHT years old today. I cannot believe how time flies! We had a wonderful morning - and a breakfast birthday party since her grandma and grandpa were leaving to go out of town. She chose coffee cake and turkey bacon for her birthday breakfast. Then she opened presents. Detroit got a new BIG bike from mommy and daddy. She also got a Nintendo DSL from Grandma and Grandpa. Lucky girl, she sure wouldn't have gotten that from mom and dad! She also got a game called Nintendogs and I guess you adopt a dog and it is sort of a virtual reality pet. She has adopted a Siberian Husky and named him Balto. I guess he is naughty, because she has been walking around yelling "BALTO!" at her DS all morning. She says she has to train him. I am so glad my parents decided to do this to us.

10 Months Old

2008-03-09T11:08:00.003-07:00

Time flew by while we were hanging out in Roswell, and I suddenly realized my son is now 10 months old. Detroit pointed out that in two months he will be one! I truly cannot believe how fast the past month went by.

Joaquin is still an absolute joy - even with the teething thing. (We are still waiting for that second bottom tooth to come through the gums.) He is one smiley kid. He just smiles all the time. He loves hanging out with his daddy and his sister. They are about the only two people who can consistently get him to laugh. He has just started giving kisses...adorable, open-mouthed kisses. He also really enjoys pat-a-cake and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. He lights up whenever we do either one.

Joaquin is still working on the traditional crawl, but he gets around fairly well. (I still haven't figured out exactly how, but I guess whatever works.) He still doesn't know how to catch himself when he does tumble and since he won't sit still, it happens occasionally. This past week we noticed that he tried to pull himself up to a standing position. He is still not doing our signs for "more" and "kitty," but he sure likes when we do them. He prefers to squeal instead. Maybe one of these days he will catch on...and maybe one of these days he will stop waking up 500 times during the night. I can't wait to see what the next month brings!

Pictures of Roswell

2008-03-09T11:08:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, Roswell is famous for an "incident" in 1947. Many people believe an alien craft wrecked near there and the military covered it up. As a result, Roswell attracts a large number of tourists. In fact, we are looking forward to the big UFO festival that is held every summer. I have heard is quite a big deal! So, here is a look at a few of the fun things I saw in downtown Roswell...

Here is the only UFO shaped McDonald's in the world:

And of course, who can live without Alien Sno?

And one last alien...

A First for Joaquin

2008-03-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

Joaquin has been a bit of a bear on our trip. I thought it was from traveling and being off schedule. Yesterday, I noticed that his FIRST TOOTH is poking through. It looks like the second will be coming through anytime now. He is about 3 1/2 months ahead of where Detroit was with her teeth. She didn't get her first tooth until after her first birthday! Let's just hope that after that second tooth comes through his mood improves.

Roswell, NM

2008-03-02T20:45:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah!! Jared is finished with the bar...now we just wait for the results. This week Joaquin and I are hanging out with Jared in Roswell. We decided that it was high time for me to see the city that we are going to be moving to. So far so good. I really like it. It definitely has southern charm - the people are really nice and the pace of life is a lot slower than California. It has everything I need to survive, and by that I mean Target, The Dollar Tree, a Scrapbooking Store and a library. In fact the kid's section of the library is incredible. It is by far the best one I have ever seen. I also checked out the Scrapbook Store and I am VERY happy. I will be spending a lot of time there. It rivals all of the best scrapbook stores in Utah! There is definitely "alien" pride going on in this town and it is pretty cute. In fact, their McDonald's is the only UFO shaped one in the world! This is an interesting town because it is a mixture of New Mexico culture as well as Texas. Many of the people have a slight Texas twang and there are lots of trucks and big belt buckles. I am really excited about our upcoming adventures in Roswell.

We were planning on moving here in about a month, but there are NO apartments available. Long story short, FLETC (Federal Law Enforcement Training something or other) is in town training their border patrol agents and so all of the apartments are taken...and will be for at least the next two years. So, we will be buying a house immediately. This just means that the kids and I will be staying in San Ramon a little longer. (My parents are cheering.) I will start looking at houses this week and will come back in April to hopefully make an official offer.

I will post pictures of Roswell soon!