Burn baby burn.

Today as the Cita and I (Aliswan) were running errands we noticed smoke from up on the mountain.

We noticed in 1 area.

Then in 2 areas.

Then in an area that looked right next to our house.

We walked over 1 street down from our house and watched the awesome firemen douse the fire.

At first we thought it might be a controlled burn but then we heard that not only was it accidental but there were also 4 others suspicious fires.  They are looking for a black SUV at the moment that was seen near some of the fires.

So there is the exciting news for the day.

The end.

A week in the life...or maybe just a night.

Our Grandma (the cita's mom) is INSANE at Yatzee!.

For a game of luck, she has sweet skills.

The padre beat her once.

Alas, Monday night was not that way.

The only person he did beat was himself.

For the worst score of all time.

His score was 47.

Yes, you read me right.

47.

It beat the previous worst score ever of 72.

Which was also held by the padre.

Just think padre, 

if it was golf,

you would be kicking our butts.

Happenings of the House--Superman and Flyingman

It's hard when your familia is doing so many things on so many DIFFERENT CAMERAS!!!

and then they keep forgetting to give them to you,

so you can post their craziness on the blog.

So you'll have to wait a bit for the familia.

But here is a bit of our lovely visitors.

This video is of T-dog and Stephie.

Stephie wanted to play Superman with T-dog.

Apparently that wasn't cool enough for the T-dog because he named himself "Flyingman"

We all thought it was pretty cute.

The Adventures of Superman and Flyingman @ Yahoo! Video

He renames things a lot.
Like when he thought that the song You've Got a Friend in Me from Disney's Toy Story was really saying
Are you kidding me?
So that is how he sings it.
Don't believe me?
Here is proof:

Are you kidding me? @ Yahoo! Video

Hope your spring is looking good.
Ours is,
on the days it isn't snowing.
:)

A week in the Nuthouse.

My little brother (the little juan) and his best friend used to make music videos when they were bored.  They would spend hours choreographing silly dances, creating costumes made out of beanies and sunglasses, and memorize the words so they could lip-sync.  Apparently that is something my familia really loves to do.  We don't always make music videos, but making videos is something we love to do.  On Monday Otis came over for dinner and after teaching her how to play Ninja Destruction (don't ask, don't tell), we made these two videos.

The first is about how to Neutralize Your Opponent 101--using just your toes.  Enjoy!

How To Neutralize Your Opponent 101--with your toes @ Yahoo! Video

The next video is an examination on how to fall gracefully.  This is our first and only take...it's painful, we didn't want to fall more than once. :)

Falling Gracefully--a study @ Yahoo! Video

So there are quite a few more than these and they will be posted at some random point when I get them off my ipod. :)

On the male side of things, here is a few things that have happened this week:

Deruda made his first batch of cinnamon rolls--BY HIMSELF!!!

I took pictures to commemorate the occasion.

(yes he is shirtless underneath that apron, I'm not sure if that makes this better or worse)

Deruda is super excited that he didn't kill the yeast.  I have the 'prettiest' brother.  Isn't he adorable?

Here is the finished product.

Another story for this week is when I told the padre that I had a new device that would help him breathe better.  

I think it actually worked a little bit.

Don't worry, I hadn't used them since I got my pedicure.  :)  

We are a vindictive bunch sometimes. :)

So there is the familia update.  We are happy, mostly healthy, and going strong!  We are more excited for spring then we can possibly express though.  

Family time--nut style

So yesterday evening we got to spend some family time together and it was pretty great. The padre, Stephie and Aliswan got to go to the temple together while the cita and bug ran some errands.
The temple was so beautiful. After we got out of the temple we decided that it was warm enough to walk around the grounds. It's the end of January so obviously it doesn't look like this picture (there is still snow everywhere), but we walked around the grounds anyway. It was the most beautiful time of day. The view from the entrance of the temple is surreal. You can see across the valley to Utah Lake and yesterday there was the most beautiful sunset. It was a gorgeous time to be together at the temple.
After the cita and bug picked us up we went home, got Deruda, and went to Golden Corral. Anyone who knows our family knows how much we love buffets. It was soooooo good.

On the way the the padre tried to take some pictures but for some reason they kept turning out a little strange. So being the nuts we are, we decided to play with that a bit. Make sure to check out Bug's face in the back. It is often priceless. Also check Deruda's...it is often...doing nothing.

Deruda is in the back trying to act cool while Bug is laughing at his attempt.

Stephie cowering in fear as Aliswan gets after her for farting in the middle of the night...all the time. Bug attempts to be supportive while Deruda is...indifferent (because he does it too!).

On an ending note I would like to share a story:

Once upon a time there was a pumpkin that was purchased at Halloween.

Why did the padre purchase this particular pumpkin?

Well, because it was super cheap.

Why was it so cheap?

BECAUSE IT WAS ROTTING!

So what did we do?

Place it on a rock outside with it's rotting side hidden from the world.

...and then...

it was promptly forgotten until a massive snow storm hit and the snow from it buried the pumpkin alive and half rotten.

And then the poor members of the House of Nuts could not remember if we ever threw the rotting pumpkin away or if it was still on that rock in front of the house...it was discussed, questioned but then forgotten.

Until a little bit ago when suddenly the snow melted and there was a frozen, rotting pumpkin, on a rock in front of our house.

So what did Stephie do?

Kick it.

After which it promptly collapsed.

Rotting pumpkin, if we ever remove you from that rock in front of the house,

may you rest in peace.

So it's been more than a little while....

That's a major understatement. I've been gone for the summer and the fam isn't quite sure how to post things so here is a rundown of our lives since...I don't know, over a year ago?!? Yes, I like to think that we are really bad at this. :) So the Aliswan will give you a rundown of the last year and 3 months in order.
First off, the little juan left on his mission on August 27, 2008. He has now been gone over a year! For pictures and letters check out his mission blog.
Next, the familia no longer lives in Tooele! The house is now being rented by some really nice folks and the family has followed me to Provo (can't get rid of these buggers). So here is a little glimpse at the new abode.

Let's see what else.
The padre is still working at Dugway but in his spare time he has enjoyed putting the yard together with his new best friend Tyler-san. (katate kid reference sorry).

The Cita is teaching at a great little elementary school as a third grade teacher and boy they give her a run for her money. She is also preparing to apply for a masters program which has us all pretty excited.



Aliswan...well this last summer I moved to Tonopah, Nevada and worked as an archaeologist for the forest service. To say I was hard core would be an understatement, after 3 months of camping, site recording a hiking several hundred miles I find Provo life a little busy and yet slow. Oh, and I am about to graduate college and go to grad school. Kudos kids, kudos.

Stephie is now a senior in high school and is about to graduate. She went to prom this year with a friend from Tooele and she also went to the Govenor's Honors Academy and got a large scholarship to SUU! So guess who Jon gets to watch out for down in Cedar City this fall? :)Deruda is doing really well, he is taking piano lessons from Aunt Karen, art lessons from Auntie Amanda and has finally joined the swim team which we are all really excited about. He and Stephanie worked at Seven Peaks this summer and so he also saw quite a bit of babe action for a 15 year old. (Definitely his words and NOT mine). :)
Bug is doing fantastic in her new school. Her grades are high and she works her little tail end off. She is involved in the drama program and played one of the Piccadilly Ladies in her school play, the Music Man. We all now know the words to all of those songs. She also has been doing exceptionally well on her cello.

Finally Aunt Karen, Uncle Nate, Tyler and Lizzie moved in with us for a bit while they are looking for a house and we all absolutely love it! It's nice to have kids in the house that say hi to you every morning and hug you and kiss you all over. It has been a wonderful adventure having them here and we all don't know what we will do when they leave. :(

Well there is a very sad and ridiculously brief summary of the past year and three months. We promise we will do better. Well I'll try to get them to do better if you know my family you would understand. :) Adios!