Happy New Year...It's 2010!

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

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)

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.





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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)

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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

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)

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)

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)

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)