Skate

Ryan put together a skateboard for Caleb's birthday present & we all headed down to the skatepark in Anthem to try it out.
Caleb had so much fun & didn't seem to mind that all of the other skaters were twice his age.

Eli had fun running races. This boy loves to put on his brown shoes (he says they make him faster) and RUN!


Even Marcus got some skate time!

1st Day of 1st Grade

Day 1: Caleb rode bike, Eli rode bike, Marcus rode in stroller
Mom pushed stroller, let Caleb practice the lock at the bike rack.
We all waited in the afternoon at the back of the school (the prearranged meeting spot)
Caleb never came. We found him waiting at the front of the school.

Day 2: Same as day 1, except Caleb made it to the meeting spot in the afternoon.

Day 3: Caleb rode to school without us. Mom & brothers followed in the minivan to see how he would do.
Rode home alone and did just fine!

Day 4: Rode bike to school alone, or so he thinks. I followed in the car again and watched as he had a little trouble with his bike lock & 2 nice Jr. high boys helped him out.

Day 5: Caleb rode to school alone and Mom didn't even follow him.

Week 2: Caleb rides to & from school with buddy's Dylan & Porter.

Velasco's Visit

Our good friends, (Vic, Leandra, Marlon & Noelani) came to visit.

We became close while living in Japan.

La & I had fun walking our kids to the beach & experiencing Japanese life together.

Vic & Ryan shared a love of surfing & both worked for NAVFAC Far East.

La is a science buff, so we spent an afternoon at the Science Center in Phoenix, since it was way too hot to do anything outside.





These 2 boys have always loved playing together & this visit wasn't any different. Play of choice used to be trains, but this time it was Bakugan!


La is quite the seamstress. She made this apron for me & an apron for each of my boys!
Now they are off to their next duty station in Gulfport Mississippi. Hopefully we'll get to visit again the next time around!

Martinsen Reunion '09

Don't you just love a vacation when the only shoes you have to pack are flip flops?

Here is my attempt at a family picture with 16 people, a tripod & a timer. Turned out ok & I got a little exercise running back & forth!

We had a grand birthday celebration complete with presents, ice cream cake & 2 pinatas!



Visited Birch Aquarium in LaJolla.

This is where all the magic happened!

Stroganoff, molten lava cakes, fruit & chocolate filled pancake balls, Ryan asking random, thought provoking, reunion questions & stomachs expanding!

Yes, that is a grandfather watching his grandson play with a huge knife & thinking it's oh so cute & funny!

Halle & Eli LOVED playing together despite their very different personalities. Here they are playing a game of Freeze Dance! Halle did lots of pretty twirls & Eli did many flips into couches. I hope they'll always be friends.

This is pretty much how all of us felt when we got home & had to unpack.
Not pictured: a snorkeling trip to LaJolla cove, Eli getting lost on the beach, swims in the jacuzzi, dinner at the harbour for only the adults, and late night games of Nerts.

Caleb is 7

I can't believe he's already 7 years old.
"I'm practically a teenager," he tells me.

7 Wonderful Things About Caleb:

1)He's introspective, thoughtful & insightful.

2) He's fun to be around & has a great sense of humor.

3)He is a good example to his brothers & watches out for them.

4) He loves the great outdoors.

5)He knows when his Mom needs a hug.

6) He's willing to try new things.

7) He is very honest & stands up for what he knows is right.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB!

wE LOvE YoU!

I Love a Rainy Night!

Monsoon season has been disappointing this year.

We got so excited when it started to rain.

We went outside to play in the cooler evening air.

Here's Cus & Ryan watching from the truck's tailgate.