Merry Christmas!

Time again for family pictures! (SAM): "Why do we have to have a family picture?" (GABE): "Why do I need to change out of my pajamas?" (He didn't, I just cropped his PJ bottoms out of the "official" photo! (DANIEL): "Why do I need to be in the picture? Can't we just send out a picture of the kids?" (He took pictures of just the kids while waiting for me to be ready).
It's always such a struggle to get everyone together for a simple photo around the tree... but it has been accomplished!

We tried to get our dog, Rainbow, in the picture, but she wasn't good at smiling on cue. Also, we had to make sure that our new Yoda tree topper was included!
HO-HO-HO!

Soccer Season!

Another soccer season has come to an end. Gabe and Carly really enjoy the sport and usually play indoor and outdoor soccer. We are proud to watch them play, but it will be nice to have our Saturdays back!

Go UPSC Arsenal! Go UPSC Jaguars!

Zoolights

It's been a few years since we went to the Zoolights, and it was really fun to go as a family this year.

Gabe, Sam, Carly.......................................... The Martinez Family

Daniel, Jennie............................ Daniel, Dolores (Grandma Martinez), Linda (Aunt Linda)

Sam and Carlos riding a camel!

Thanksgiving

As is our usual tradition, we go to the Spanaway Fantasy Lights on Thanksgiving Day. So, after stuffing ourselves at Aunt Linda and Uncle Jeff's, we piled into the car.

Kitchen Remodel!

Oh, how I love the sound and smell of construction in the morning! Ever since we moved into our house in 2004, I've wanted to remove the wall between the kitchen and the dining room. Today it came down!

We also opened up the wall between the dining room and the living room! Open, airy, light. Love it. Can't wait to do more!

Gabe's Eagle Project

We're so proud of Gabe -- he's completed his Eagle project! He organized his team and built 24 sawhorses for our local Playground by the Sound building project.
After building the sawhorses, they delivered them to the playground construction site (Doesn't Sam look excited to be involved?). After they were used there, they were donated to Habitat for Humanity. Go, Gabe!

Sam's 50-mile Bike Ride

Sam's Boy Scout group has been building up to this big bike ride for months now, and finally it's here. They met very early at 5a, and as you can see are raring to go! (Ha!)
The boys and their leaders rode from Snoqualmie pass to the town of Carnation, all on bike trails. The ride included a 2-mile ride through a dark tunnel, and they were gone for most of the day. Sam was tired when he got home, and didn't give much details (he's not very talkative when it comes to non-video game conversations). But, he completed it! We're very proud of him.

Chambers Bay

University Place, WA. I'm often quick to criticize because of the lack of sunshine, but it can be breathtakingly beautiful here.

Gabe, Carly and I went for a short outing this weekend at Chambers Bay (our local golf course that has serene views of the Puget Sound and will be home to the 2015 US Open). The Central Meadow is a big park with lots of paths and beach access. The kids had a great time riding their bikes in the warm summer air:

We need to do this more often. Next time I hope there will be a picnic basket involved...

HOT Lake Mead

We met about 30 of our Vogt (Mack) relatives in Las Vegas this year. It was quite a drive to get there, but so nice to be in the Utah and Nevada sunshine.
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We stayed at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas for a few days. The kids enjoyed the pool and the view. We had to drag them out of the hotel to see a few sites. My favorite event was the Celine Dion concert. I happily went by myself while the rest of the family hung out at the hotel. It was an awesome concert!

Next we moved to Henderson NV to stay at the Fiesta and enjoy the lake. The heat started early in the morning, which meant more lake time for us. The afternoons got to 115 degrees! There were three boats, four jetskis, and a huge lake to swim in.

Here's a short video of Carly being towed on a tube. We were just starting out here, so just relaxing and slow...


We stopped in Salt Lake City on the way back home and enjoyed touring Temple Square.

Leslie's Soft Caramel Popcorn

Since college I've used my roommate's recipe for caramel popcorn -- it's the perfect combination of golden, soft, buttery caramel drizzled over popcorn. Every time I make it, I wonder why I don't make it more.

My roommate, Leslie, is so fun and sweet -- just like the caramel popcorn.

Recently I misplaced the recipe and had to go online for an alternate (OK, I didn't HAVE to, but I was really in the mood for caramel popcorn!). I picked the one that was as close to Leslie's as possible and made it. It was edible, but nowhere close to the gooey goodness of my usual recipe.

I immediately e-mailed Leslie and asked her to re-send me her tried and true formula. This time I'm posting it on my blog, so I'll never lose it again:

Leslie's Gooey Caramel Popcorn

*Pre-pop 4 bags of microwave popcorn and sift out unpopped kernals. Spread on two large baking sheets for mixing. (I use the "movie theatre butter" version -- all that butter flavor and salt goes perfectly well with the caramel. No calorie counting allowed when eating caramel popcorn!)

1 C Sugar
1 C Brown Sugar
1/2 t Cream of Tartar
1/2 C Corn Syrup
1 C Butter
1/4 C Warm Water

Combine the above ingredients and cook on medium low until "softball" stage. (If you like crispier popcorn, cook longer -- "hardball" or "hardcrack". I love it soft.) Add 1 t baking soda, and immediately pour over popcorn. Mix together and enjoy.

Utah Trip

I took a short little trip to Utah last weekend and was able to spend a lot of quality time with my family.

My parents are raising my three nieces and recently adopted them. Last Saturday they were all sealed in the temple.

It was great to have all of my brothers and sisters there together to help celebrate -- whether or not they were attending the temple sealing. We laughed, we ate, we played games, we ate, we talked, we ate. (See the pattern here?) Didn't get much sleep, but had a wonderful time.

Love you Mom, Dad, Matt, Carrie, Micah, Rebecca, Adam & Jared!

PS: Thanks to my wonderful husband (I don't say that enough) for taking care of business here at home while I was gone!

03/01/11 NVI Science Fair

Sam and Carly both participated in the Narrows View Intermediate Science Fair this year. Carly's project was comparing speed of a runner, someone on a scooter, and a bicycler.
Sam's project was to see which kind of wax melted faster: Regular, Palm, and Soy.

They came up with the ideas on their own, and just informed me on what they were doing. Science projects are traditionally "helped along" by the parents, but this year I wasn't even asked for my opinion. The impending Science Fair usually provides a lot of stress to my life, but I was able to relax and watch them work! (I only helped by printing pictures for their display boards, and helped time Carly's tests). So I watched them, and kept my thoughts for project improvements to myself. This was not an easy task!

I am a little relieved they are getting old enough to handle these things on their own! I'm sure the time will come when I remember with fondness those days of Science Fair volcanos, and plant projects. But, for now I'm breathing. Breathing. Go Science!

02/25/11 Snowboarding!

Gabe wanted to go snowboarding for his birthday again this year, so we bought him a snowboard (used) and a lift ticket for his birthday in December. He went for his birthday, then again in January. I'm glad he continues to enjoy it.

Today was their final snowboarding trip for the season-- Daniel took Gabe, Carly and Adam Lundquist up to Snowqualmie Summit. Carly got a snowboard lesson, and the boys hung out on the mountain together.

01-20-2011 My Younger Man is 40!

Happy Birthday, Daniel! So, now you're forty. I keep waiting for you to catch up to me, but I seem to keep aging, too.

The kids and I spirited Daniel away to Great Wolf Lodge for a nice weekend of relaxation and water-park fun. Waterpark, dining, arcade, and relaxation.

Daniel and the kids loved going on the raft and tube rides. Because of my knee problems, I couldn't go up so many stairs, but I loved being in the wave pool, and sitting in the hot tub!

Gabe and Sam's favorite spot was the wave pool.