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.

Future Scientist

One day Grandpa Martinsen said to Caleb,

"Stop jumping on the couch.

I know you can remember because you've got a really big, smart brain in your head."

Caleb very seriously replied,

"It's just hard because I have a lot of stuff in my brain!

I'm like a future scientist, ya know!"

Caleb is determined to be a scientist when he grows up. Here are some pics of us doing some experiments over the summer.

Go Caleb Go!

This was Caleb's first summer with the Anthem Auquabats!

His proudest moment was winning a 1st Place ribbon in the Butterfly!

He and Eli have also both conquered the high dive this summer.

Ryan had to promise them Slurpies & a Redbox, but they did it & now they can't get enough!

the 4th

We had a fun 4th of July with our good friends, the McBride's, in Oceanside.

Ryan surfed, of course.

Megen and I got pedicures and lunch together.

We all played at the beach and pool.
The fireworks were held at an outdoor theater in Vista.

Here's the whole gang having a picnic and waiting for the fireworks to start.
What a great friend Meg is. One of those that will always be.

The kids had fun dancing to the live band!
Goodbye Oceanside. Until next time...