The Bunker Home

BAD news

2012-01-26T17:32:00.000-08:00

Jared and the kids' favorite thing to do while I'm at Young Womens each Wednesday night is what they term, "Tickle Wrestle." It's basically a Bunker free-for-all and all 3 of them LOVE it. It normally involves a lot of chasing wildly around the house, tickling, sword fighting, light-sabers, flashlights, kung-foo, wrestling, karate and of course tickling....all with lights dimmed or out completely. It normally ends either when one, both, or all are in tears from injuries or 5 minutes before I come home so Jared can quickly say that he made an attempt at putting the kids down to bed.

So last night when I came home and asked Jared for the normal Wednesday night update of how things went with him and the kiddies, I was immediately anxious when he got this worried look on his face and told me that he had some bad news.

Something broke.

Oh boy. That could be anything. My mind quickly started going down the list...

Avery broke a bone?!?

Austin broke his nose?!?

Chase became collateral damage?!?

They busted a window?!?

They smashed a lamp, a frame or both?!?

Our entire collection of dishes shattered?!?

He looked genuinely distressed and I was beginning to feel the same way until he told me what broke:

His favorite Jack Sparrow Disneyland sword

Apparently it's his favorite "swatting" sword. I didn't even want to ask what that meant because what happens in "Tickle Wrestle" STAYS in "Tickle Wrestle." Avery and Austin are apparently pretty broken up about it too, both told me the sad tale this morning when they woke up. However will we manage with only 9 light sabers,5 foam swords, 4 spears, and 3 other plastic ones?!?

The Big 10 in Big Bear

2012-01-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

No, we weren't married in January but better late than never to post our

10 yr anniversary trip right?!?

So back in October, thanks to my mom's willingness to watch our kids and my dad's willingness to put up with our dog, we were able to sneak in a little be-lated anniversary get-away. Jared had high hopes of making this a Hawaiian trip but since I was preggo and we hadn't won the lottery yet, I convinced him we should perhaps be do something on the main land instead.

I'm so glad we did too!!

We decided to head up to a little town called "Big Bear Lake" tucked up in the mountains less than 2 hrs away that we've always wanted to visit. We were excited to go some where where we could enjoy the snow and cool temps and then retreat back to our warm weather.

We had the best time walking around the cute little town sans kids,

hitting up the tiny local theater (I think it sat 30 max),

admiring the beautiful scenery,

exploring the coolest antique stores I've ever seen,

picking up some "tasteful" souvenirs

and even doing some outside late night swimming in the super warm hotel pool

with snow all around us.

(No, I didn't take any pictures of us swimming. You're welcome.)

We thought we would enjoy what the area had to offer

so Jared went down this super long Alpine slide.

Can you tell he liked it?

He tried to convince me to go too but the rules were pretty clear. Dang!

We wanted to spend a day tubing too since it looked so fun but decided against it.

Considering Chase's early arrival, it's probably a good thing too.

Can't peg that on me Chase!

I assured Jared that we'll come back another time

when we don't have to worry about smashing our poor child in utero.

And in case we ever forgot where we were,

there were reminders everywhere we went.

At basically every restaurant we saw-

At the firewood lot-

At the Police Station-

Even at Vons.

This place puts "Build-a-Bear" to shame

Jared planned the whole trip thought it would be fun to visit Lake Arrowhead too

on the other side of the mountain.

He arranged for a hotel there too

so we said our goodbyes to this beautiful lake-

And headed to this one-

Lake Arrowhead was equally beautiful

but with more of an exclusive resort feel to it

(real hoighty-toighty like).

Since we had already eaten-out quite a bit

and since everything there is so dang expensive,

we hit up a grocery store and bought all the fix-ins

to eat dinner back at our hotel room.

Just the bare necessities I tell you.

After all, who can live without the 1,000 calories in

Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk?!?

Jared arranged for us to take a "steam boat" tour of the lake and I'm so glad we did.

Cap'n Chuck told us all kinds of cool things about Lake Arrowhead.

None of them I can remember now but trust me, they were cool.

Apparently this is where the rich and famous go once they become rich and famous.

We saw the amazing homes of

old movie stars like Doris Day, newer ones like George Clooney,

famous people like President Ford

and the owners of places like Winchell's Donuts and In-n-Out.

And of course a bunch more that I can't remember.

Cap'n Chuck would be so disappointed.

I do remember that he pointed out an apple grove there

(coincidently called Apple Grove)

that was planted by the Mormon Battalion

that's still producing apples 150+yrs later. Very cool.

As you can see, the houses weren't anything fancy,

just your basic 4 walls and a roof

. . .that happen to cost 10's of millions of dollars.

Even the (over priced) resort we stayed in had their claim to fame

since it was where one of the episodes of the tv show "House" was filmed.

(Any House fans out there? It was the one where House drugs Wilson at a convention they go to. Anyway, kind of cool to see the picture in the lobby of them)

Not that we don't love our children but we sure do love our time together when it's just us. We've been so very blessed in the 10 years of our marriage. This weekend was just another reminder of why we got married- we just can't seem to get enough of each other. I'm glad this was not only true during those late nights in the halls of Glenwood at BYU but is also the same, even more so, today. I'm grateful that we were able to be sealed for eternity in the San Diego Temple and that I can look forward to years together with this guy, not just for another 10, 30, or 50 years, but for forever. I just hope Ben & Jerry will be there too!

Reason #1,254. . .

2012-01-25T10:59:00.000-08:00

. . .of why God made DADS.

(Plus, that way MOMS don't have to figure out

how to put together 6oo pieces of plastic)

As Promised...

2012-01-19T10:56:00.000-08:00

Take your otherwise "normal" group of adults,

add an 80's theme-

a 6 yr old make-up artist-

LOTS of hairspray-

(I missed my decade I tell you, this hair was made for the 80's!)

add your rockin' Madonna Mom

and Reverend Dad-

Don't forget your Mel Gibson-esque heart throb husband

and talk show host self-

Throw in your 1980's beauty queen sister-in-law

and the uber-wealthy birthday boy cowboy-

Oh yeah, and don't forget

a bombdigity rubicks cube cake-

Throw in some food to scarf

and a good ol' fashion murder

and what do you have?

A like, totally gnarly, mega rad 80's murder mystery birthday party!!

Highlights of the evening-

My mom totally in character all night with her promiscuous talk

and naughty behavior that made more than a few of us blush.

Thank goodness my dad was there to pray for her naughty soul.

Too bad he got bumped off that night...involving a rubicks cube no less!

(hence the blotchy white "ghost" face in the picture)

Another highlight was Billy Idol's pink hair and raunchy self belching all night, taking "pills" and being the first one ever tell my dad to "shut up" in his English drawl

(he was in character but still, I was scared for him)

All in all, it was one

major

bodacious,

awesomely

stellar

party.

No duh.

Brittany Breastaurant

2012-01-16T20:40:00.000-08:00

This Brittany Breastaurant

is open and ready for business!

Open 24 hrs and serving a table for 1

No reservations needed

No Shirt,

No Shoes,

No Problem!

All natural and 100% organic

and apparently all cream!

100 % Satisfaction Guaranteed

Where every hour is happy hour

and where this is now just fancy tupperware

Chase Dean Bunker

2012-01-03T20:17:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was a little baby lump,

Who grew and grew into a baby bump.

Well, that bump (due Jan 16) had quite a mind of his own,

So early December at 4:40 am his parents had to grab a phone.

They arranged for sitters and told the hospital to prepare

Since a ready epidural was his mother's only care.

With her water breaking and contractions 3 minutes apart,

Off to the hospital in the dark they did excitedly dart.

After speeding down the freeway for the agonizing 30 minute drive,

Both were grateful they made it to the hospital alive.

At 6am they arrived at the labor and delivery floor,

An emergency c-section delivered him 17 minutes later, not a minute more

For the past 33.5 weeks this little baby was thinking life was a beach

As he comfortably laid in a position that was breech!

Shocked as they were, his parents were thrilled,

And once again their hearts were definitely filled.

Still, 6 1/2 weeks early, this boy gave those around him a fright,

And NICU nurses watched him constantly to make sure he was alright.

And thus Chase Dean Bunker was born on the 2nd of December,

A whirlwind day that will always be remembered.

Family members came to welcome the little 5 lb 8 oz man,

Though the NICU rules kept him from seeing the whole under-age clan.

The story continues while in the hospital Chase did stay,

With his parents counting every minute that they had to be away.

For 2 weeks they juggled schedules and sitters and tried as best they could

To be in as many places as they knew that they should.

So after making sure Chase was being attended to in his hospital bed,

Gingerbread houses were created and tummies with sugar were fed.

And between watching Chase take his car seat test,

His mom watched Avery get an award for being the best of the best.

Christmas traditions continued like helping others who had a lot less

And they reminded Chase's family that they really were blessed.

The juggling continued for 16 straight days,

As long as the fun activities continued, the older kids didn't seem fazed.

Though their mom admittedly, will be the first to confess

That leaving Chase at the hospital, left her an emotional mess.

Admittedly, some things were neglected but Avery helped out with that,

And Santa wasn't forgotten and they had the chance to chat.

The story continues with family helping out a ton,

And friends making sure that our dinners each night were done.

Until on that wonderfully happy, joy-filled December day

When Baby Chase FINALLY came home to stay.

Where he officially met his big brother and sis,

Who couldn't help but smother him with hugs and more than one kiss.

(Gramma and Kailee too!)

And so this last Christmas, Chase became the best present of all

Surely better than anything you can find at the mall!

If you can't DO...

2011-11-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

...then ASK your Mom!

Since my mom can DO anything

we thought we would put her amazing talents to good work.

Our little Avery is growing up and although she is still our little princess

and her devotion to the Disney princesses hasn't waned,

she was all on board to change up her room a bit.

She picked out the pink surfer bedspread

but what's a beach room without the beach ambiance to match?!

That's where my mom came it.

She whipped this out in a couple hours and we LOVE it!

Avery requested palm trees as well as "Jewel" (the girl bird from Rio)

Here she is not quite finished yet.

Kind of makes you want to be Avery doesn't it?

Even better?

She makes her bed like this everyday,

that's how you know she really likes it.

It makes me happy every time I see it.

Thanks Mom!

All Smiles!

2011-11-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

The highly anticipated,

longly awaited day

f-i-n-a-l-l-y

came!

I can't even describe the thrill this brought into the Bunker home.

First it wiggled.

And there was excitement.

Then it jiggled.

Even more rejoicing.

Until finally, out it popped in all it's dental glory.

Avery's 1st lost tooth.

And that was just Jared's excitement.

Yep, as you can imagine, Dr. Dad has been waiting for this day basically since Avery was an embryo. It's a big moment for a kid. Even bigger when that kid's dad is a dentist who has patiently waited for this day to come for

6 years,

2 months

and 8 days.

So here's the big scoop:

Avery's "special friend" (I refuse to use the word "boyfriend" she's is only 6!!) was chasing her during lunch. (Awww, young love) When he finally "caught" her she ended up getting pushed into the sand and busting her chin against the ground. When she got up from her "love tap" her mouth was bleeding and that wiggly tooth was no longer in her mouth. Instead it was M.I.A. in the sand despite all the volunteer fellow 1st grade friends who tried to hunt it down. Dang!

(Should we be worried that her very first "relationship" ended in her getting a tooth knocked out of her head?!?!)

Needless to say she was thrilled (if not a bit disappointed that she didn't have her tooth to show for her big accomplishment). Not to worry though, she immediately wrote a letter to the tooth fairy in class to inform her that a special visit was now in order.

And visit she did.

That amazingly magical fairy left:

a "gold coin,"

(and I quote "with Sacajawea on it, just like 'Night at the Museum!!'"

Thank you Hollywood for teaching our daughter U.S. history)

a new dollar,

and a littly, itty bitty note

painstakingly shoved into her little, itty bitty tooth necklace.

She was just a little bit excited.

We wanted to have a big family ice cream sundae party to celebrate but let's just say our little kiddies didn't need any more stimulus that night. I'm not sure if it was the dental victory or what but we were happy when bedtime arrived.

She even recorded it in her brand new diary.

"I lost my tooth. Look wut the tooth faree gav me! Udr (under) my plo (pillow)."

Austin is now hoping his teeth will start falling out any day now

so he gets money under his pillow too.

Side note- Just the night before after she showed my dad for the umpteenth time her loose tooth, he told her how he can remember getting $50 for his first lost tooth. (I'm so sure!) Naughty Grampa. I'm grateful that she didn't believe his little tall tale and expect the same kind of cash reimbursement.

I ain't gonna work no more, no more...

2011-11-10T23:36:00.000-08:00

At least that's how I felt each night this past week.

The project?

Re-planting our front yard, front flower bed

and a part of one of our side yards.

Why?

Besides the fact that it was desperate for a make-over, I figure it's going to be harder for me to bend over, spend hours at a time on my knees or to navigate a shovel without going into labor. And since I'm not getting any smaller, any nimbler or more graceful, I figure now is the time to do it.

Since Jared had to bring home the bacon so I could spend the wad buying plants, fertilizer and compost at the nursery, the project was mainly mine though I was able to recruit helpers one of my days. It's so much easier to do it myself but they were so excited to help that I couldn't resist.

Here's the before:

During:

And after:

The front yard before:

I took some pictures beforehand to take to the nursery in the hopes that someone there could suggest a ground cover that would work with our partial sun, partial shade, hilly area with palm tree roots, gophers, foot traffic from two kids and a dog while still being drought tolerant, super sturdy, low maintenance and green. Is that so hard to ask?

During:

We had two days of rain (wahoo!) last week so I took advantage of the soft dirt and spent a day digging up holes in preparation of whatever we'd be planting. (I put Chase to work already. That extra weight on the shovel helped.)

(Can you tell the palm trees shadows aren't the only ones in these pictures??

Quincy is my "white shadow" and goes every where I go.)

After:

The GOOD news: after "only" 2 trips to the nursery and hours of walking through the aisles deliberating back and forth between species of plants I can't even pronounce while texting/sending pics to Jared at work during his lunch and shoveling Austin fruit snacks my the mouthfuls to keep him happy, I decided on a ground cover that should do the job (I hope!)

The BAD news: the landscaper told me each plant would only need to be planted in 2 inch by 2 inch holes. Meaning the literally 100+ holes I dug at least a foot deep and a deep wide were not only totally unnecessary but even more work to fill in. Hence Saturday and Monday spent all day on the shovel and Tuesday and Wednesday spent ALL day on my knees.

It may not look like much now but hopefully in the somewhat near future it will look like more than well groomed dirt. I am so dang proud of my 150 of little baby plants and even though each night this week Jared shook his head at me as barely I hobbled from room to room and kept falling asleep before 9, it was something I actually enjoyed doing each day (ahem!-for the most part).

Here's our little side yard that has been a little waste land since we moved here. Figured I should buy a flat and plop some plants in here too while I was at it. Grow little vinca majors, grow!

My little soldiers standing at the curb.

I feel like I should bake some cookies or brownies for the poor men who have to dispose of all of our green waste each week. I can't tell you how satisfying (and such a relief!) it is when I come out to a pile of empty garbage cans Thursday morning.

It's been SO much work but SO much fun to work on a project from start to finish (ha! as if it's finished and won't need constant care but I'll worry about that tomorrow). I felt like my mom as I dug and hauled and planted and that's always a rewarding feeling (my mom can do ANYTHING, seriously). Jared's been so great asking me all about it when he comes home and check it out before each work in the morning (it's too dark now by the time he comes home to see anything-thank you time change. grrr.)

So dear Mother Nature, bring on the rainstorms to help all my little plants grow. But maybe not TOO much like last fall when you flooded all my newly planted grass seed in the backyard.

Cravings

2011-11-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

And I thought I was the one who was supposed to get late night cravings.

Finally figured out what to do with the dozens of limes

falling off our lime tree daily.

Just for the record, Jared makes a mean limeade.

Even at midnight.

Halloween Wrap-Up

2011-11-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

Before I play catch-up on all the comings and goings here in the Bunker home, I suppose I should do a quick wrap-up of our Halloween. Despite the fact that Jared, Avery and Austin all complained to me individually when they saw me putting away our Halloween decorations last week (lucky for me Quincy can't talk) we really did have a very full, very eventful Halloween. I didn't mind packing things up since we really did get our month's fill of spooky food, scary stories, costumes, haunted events, decorations, Halloween parties and not to mention candy out the wazoo.

Halloween Eve's Eve-

What's Halloween without the annual trunk-or-treat? Jared and I went in our "Up" costumes and Austin and Avery were Robin Hood and Maid Marion. Austin was pretty stoked about his bow, arrow and "diver" (quiver). He took his part very seriously. My favorite part of the costume? (not the men's XL shirt I had to cute down to a size 3T an hour before the trunk-or-treat started with a 3 year old waiting at my elbow the whole time asking, "Is it ready yet?") It was the arrow through the hat. And I LOVE that it was Austin's suggestion putting it there.

Saturday was a crazy, busy day for me and Jared worked all day at the office and didn't come home until it was time for the party to start so our trunk decorations were less than steller but hey, what we lacked in preparedness we made up for in candy. Besides, everything looks better in the dark of the night, right?

Avery fell in love with her hair so she made sure I took a picture so I could remember how to do it again for school on Monday. She did make for quite a beautiful Maid Marion, I loved her dress.

Halloween Eve-

Since our weekends were too packed this year to have our annual Halloween party, we thought we'd at least have a little Halloween dinner to celebrate. We invited two of my very favorite people that I've grown up with (we missed you Berni!!) and their cute little families, to come over and brave the Bunker madness.

Jared wanted to make it an arachnophobia themed night and they were troopers to put up with the frozen spiders in their ice cubes, the webs overhead and the spiders hanging down from the ceiling . We didn't have them come in costume since it was the Sabbath but we did make everyone pick a hat from our costumes to make it a bit more fun.

Avery was in heaven surrounded by all of Shanna's boys. We told them if they wanted to watch tv later than night it had to be a church movie or a Halloween movie. (ha!) Here they are enjoying "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

Halloween Morning-

Though I think 8 am is a bit early to be in full costume (thank goodness for the trunk-or-treat trial run) the kids and I made it to the school all ready for the fun times to continue. And continue they did!

There was the school costume parade:

Not to mention the Halloween carnival and classroom trick-or-treating.

While I worked at my little booth Avery and Austin were busy running around with all their little school buddies. Who doesn't love a cute kitty-cat version of Maid Marion?

Halloween Night-

Michiko and Cosette were in town for Halloween while my brother was out of town which made the night extra spook-tacular. Here are the kids during their pre-trick-or-treating dinner trying to load up on enough carbs to give them enough energy to run around like crazy monkeys for the next three hours. (I love that they are "cheers!"-ing their witch's grog here)

Love their costumes.

Now, ready for those TREATS!

(Notice the change of costume for Avery. That's what happens when you're 6 and have more costume ideas than actual Halloween nights. Since she had already been Maid Marion that day, she was ready to take the plunge and be Mermaid)

Trick-or-Treating-

We had an awesome night out on the town. We went to an awesome neighborhood where Jared's boss lives and the kids loved running around together. They scored on candy, I think they each had 1 piece of candy and the rest was all CHOCOLATE!!! Forgot the dum, dums, bring on the full-sized candy bars. I haven't really had chocolate cravings this pregnancy (weird, I know) but Jared has been in heaven ever since robbing their booty each night while they're in bed.

Must be the missionary in him, he left no door un-knocked.

I love this picture.

Once these kids caught on to the concept of candy behind each door they were committed.

They were so dang cute that they were quite the hit at each door.

I love the wigs!

The Loot!!

Happy Halloween!!

Now bring on Thanksgiving!

Halloween Retro Style

2011-10-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

I found these yesterday while hunting for pictures.

My brother and I are two years apart just like Avery and Austin

and we're right around their ages now in these pictures.

It makes me miss hanging out with my big brother.

Here's hoping A&A have as many happy memories as I do.

Peter Pan and Annie

(our dog Pepita was my Sandy)

Army man and Nurse

(M.A.S.H. inspired I'm sure)

Spider Man and a [Pink!] Bunny

(I can still remember getting my face painted for this)

We were quite a bit older and (dare I say?) "cooler" here

I'm a poofy-haired 50's Girl (on roller skates of course!)

and my brother is a Shark Attack Victim

(notice the shark attached to his leg)

I LOVE Halloween!!

Halloween Bunker Style

2011-10-21T23:12:00.000-07:00

It's no deep, dark secret.

We Bunkers LOVE Halloween!

Which is perhaps why our house begins to look like this

BEFORE October has even official arrived.

Decorations? We have a few.

We tend to celebrate the holiday

ANY WAY

ANY WHERE

we can.

Seriously.

We celebrate it at Disneyland:

We celebrate it at Sea World:

We celebrate it at Bates Nut Farm:

We celebrate it when we cook:

(check it out, Austin's first pie he made [almost] all by himself

Cute as a pumpkin.

and at every meal:

(not shown our special black dishes, skeleton goblets...you get the idea)

We celebrate it with cousins:

and with wicked aunts and elusive uncles:

We celebrate it with Halloween crafts:

(here's the aftermath of one of them, it's like a spray tan gone horribly wrong)

We celebrate it with costumes:

And with costume parties:

We celebrate it by decorating:

And with [nearly] nightly ghost stories

...by candlelight

...with crazy Halloween sound effects in the background

(The scary sounds aren't a huge hit with the kids, nor is the story "the Hook,"hence the recent nightly visits we've had. Serves us right.)

Had to take the picture in the light, sorry you're missing the true effect. This way you can catch a glimpse of our demon dog outside.

New this year, we now celebrate it with black lights and a strobe light.

This is what it looked like when I came home from mutual tonight, only this doesn't capture how the kids were silently hiding out in their pitch black rooms trying not to giggle and Jared was waiting for me, slowly rocking back and forth on the glider in the darknessr with a flashing skeleton head where his should have been to greet me.

Welcome to daily life at the Bunkers.

Even our dog celebrates it by making new friends for the occasion:

As does our son apparently.

Meet his pets "Carsy" the Bat and

"Zabbadubbadia" the Spider/Fly

("It's NOT a fly, it's a spider with wings.")

Where he goes, they go.

And I mean that.

(Kinda hoping these pets are seasonal,

could get awkward come Christmas time with those two in tow)

So if you're needing a little more Halloween in your life,

come on over to our haunted abode.

For extra cool points- wear a costume.

Topsy Turvy

2011-10-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Because who wants to eat a meal sitting comfortably on a chair at the table

when it's so much more FUN to eat underneath it?!?

Not the most comfortable meal I've ever eaten

but the kids loved it and that made it all worth it.

Our first, and likely not our last, Upside Down Dinner.

When else does a kid get full permission to drink a Capri-Sun upside down?

Or look so cool wearing an upside down, inside out hat like Jared is?

Beach Ball

2011-10-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats a good pick-up game of baseball. . .

. . .Unless it's a game of baseball on the beach

. . .with a driftwood bat

. . .and Gramma on your team.

2011-10-04T19:21:00.001-07:00

1 morning temple session with Jared Friday

+ 1 YW overnight Book of Mormon read-a-thon Friday night

+ 2 sessions of General Conference on Saturday

+ 2 sessions of General Conference on Sunday

__________________________________

= one seriously awesome, spiritually-packed weekend

I'm sure there's a more appropriate and slightly more delicate word than "awesome" to use when describing spiritual matters but I can't help it. This last weekend really was incredible. I'm not sure if I could have crammed in anything else to make it better, aside from maybe a personal meet-n-greet with President Monson himself. To top it off, my sister was in town (which makes it a holiday in itself).

I didn't bring a camera to the read-a-thon since I didn't think it would be appropriate but I wish I could have captured in some way just how amazing it was. We had all the young women come Friday night and leave their cell phones at home, which is a mini-miracle in itself. There were lots of things that made it so great; one of which was the endless supply of food (all brought in by other wonderful people so none of the leaders had to worry about prep or clean-up). There were special personal scripture reading kits for everyone involved, new scriptures to mark as we read, and I even had my first taste of sparkling Voss water straight from Norway (think I'll stick to my cheap Costco version, tasted the same to me.) The table covered with pure chocolate delights and the platter of See's chocolates didn't hurt either. It really was a unique experience-we read scriptures sprawled on soft couches with blankets, read scriptures around a fire under the stars eating s'mores, and read scriptures in the quiet morning hours while the Bishopric prepared breakfast. In between, we had visits from Lehi and Sariah, the mothers of the Stripling Warriors, and even overheard some conversations by those in attendance of King Benjamin's sermon. Our young women are wonderful, so are the leaders I get to work with, and I feel very blessed to have been able to strengthen my own testimony during that experience. Man, I love the Book of Mormon!

Since the weekend was full of counsel from both ancient prophets as well as those living today, I thought it only appropriate to share this little video. Avery and Austin have both learned the names of the First Presidency and all 12 Apostles and were thrilled to see them speaking on tv this weekend. Avery first learned the song when she was around Austin's age so yesterday when he wanted to sing it to me, I thought I should document the moment.

So as little bit of background, I've make up 2 different songs to use to teach the kids. The first is sung to "Happy Birthday" and the 2nd is a diluted version of a song I once learned called "I am a Pizza." Both songs originated on the spot one afternoon many moons ago so don't judge the randomness of the words. It was the best I could do on the fly. :o)

And since you may not be as fluent in speaking "Austin" as we are here, here's a translation of what he's saying:

President Monson is the Prophet

President Eyring is number one,

President Uchtdorf is number two,

that's the First Presidency.

President Packer, you like crackers

Elder Perry is so tall

Elder Nelson is a doctor,

Elder Oaks, has no hair,

M. Russel Ballard,

and Elder Scott.

Oh....Austin knows the apostles (I know the apostles)

Mommy knows the apostles (I know the apostles)

We know the apostles (we know the apostles)

and here they are....

Elder Hales has big eyes,

Elder Holland has dark hair,

Elder Bednar looks [like Corbin] (Avery's version)/[so young] (Austin's version)

Elder Cook, reads a book!

Elder Christofferson

and Elder Anderson

and that makes twelve!

(More than) A Little Bit of Fun

2011-10-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Take a beautiful little girl,

add a little brother,

on a little trip to Utah,

at a little place called Tuacahn,

add a Little Mermaid,

and a little intermission treat,

meet a little fish.....and a not so little King Triton

and you get a perfect, little piece of heaven that night

making another great little memory

with our little family

Snapshots

2011-09-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I find myself taking mental snapshots of what's going on around me with the hopes that I can remember that moment in my life. That very moment is just too good to forget. These snapshots normally occur doing the most routine things. Taking our weekly Sunday family bike ride. Watching Jared wrestle with the kids. Sneaking a peek at Avery and Austin playing happily together in the back yard. If I could give a gift to myself that's what it would be. The ability to perfectly recall these moments in life where life is so wonderfully, deliciously good.

Back in August during our quick trip to Utah, we were able to squeeze in a few hours in between wedding events to go visit my grandparents up in Ogden. There was nothing overly fantastic or remarkably memorable about it, yet the whole visit was filled with constant snapshots that I hope to never forget. I have so very many memories of my grandparents, especially at their house. The sights, sounds and even smells that I experience when we visit bring back instantly floods of overlapping memories. It's funny, it doesn't seem to matter how old I am, I feel exactly the same when I visit them. Like a kid. Time keeps marching on and it's obvious with each visit that they aren't always going to be around to visit. Since we never really know when our "last visit" will be, I'm so grateful that we could have the kids spend the afternoon with their great-grandparents (or "Old Gramma and Grampa" as Avery calls them).

Thank goodness for cameras that can capture some of these moments I'd like to always remember.

Like our 6 year old only a head shorter than my 85 year grandma,

walking up the rose-lined walkway hand-in-hand

with our little super hero following behind.

My Uncle Jim winning over my son completely by showing him his fishing knives.

I'm not sure if he knew just how much a collection of rusted, fish guts encrusted knives could mean to our little Austin but it was the highlight of Austin's day and he still talks about it. I was so grateful for my Uncle Jim taking the time to do that.

(Not to mention the old, rusty, REAL pocketknife he gave to our 3 year old.

Austin loved it SO much I actually felt bad when it had to mysteriously "disappear" when we got back from our trip. We found that people don't take too kindly to seeing a 3 yr old armed with a knife. Just think what a hero I'll be when I "find" it in a few years after he's learned basic knife handling skills in Boy Scouts)

Avery feeling so proud when I gave her the camera

and the responsibility of taking pictures of Old Gramma and Grampa .

And the love of ice cream getting passed on for 4 generations.

Even better? Being able to eat Farr's ice cream at the same Farr's ice cream parlor where my mom and her friend Gail Farr worked scooping ice cream back in high school.

My daughter and my grandma speaking together like true confidants.

Knowing that being 50 and even 80 years apart means absolutely nothing

when it comes to loving someone.

My kids getting sweet little hugs out of two of the most un-huggable men I know.

(My grandpa doesn't normally hug, he shakes hands.)

Being so sad to say goodbye,

and knowing I'll miss my Grampa and Gramma just as much as my daughter will.

Everybody needs a grandma and a grandpa in their lives.

I'm grateful that I still have mine

and that I can share them with my kids.

Hair today...

2011-09-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

...gone tomorrow.

What can we say?!

Austin's curly blond locks had grown on us

and we weren't in any hurry to chop them off.

But it was finally time to cut those sun-bleached, chlorine-drenched curls.

Half-way through I thought about leaving it like this and telling Jared I was done.

Maybe if we lived in Europe...

I didn't get a final picture that night but you get the idea.

Our handsome (and considerably lighter) little boy

with his new studly hair do.

Watch out ladies...

Jump!-Summer 2011

2011-09-16T23:54:00.000-07:00

As much as we Bunkers love the fall, we're more than a bit sad to say goodbye to summer. We have loved the hours and hours we've logged at the pool this year. Not just the one my mom and I work at, but also some friends' pools and a few hotel pools as well. Austin has followed in Avery's fearless fin-footsteps and began to swim all on his own, as if he's been doing it for years. He's now jumping and swimming in the deep end with all the older kids; when he's not he's not getting tossed in the air by Jared that is. As you can see, Avery and Austin have especially loved the time they've been able to spend with their dad, their cousins, Gramma, and their aunts and uncles in the pool. Luckily, we still have a few more pools days to look forward to until we have to find some other activity for them to jump into. Enjoy!!

Best-Day-EVER!!

2011-09-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

At least that's how our little Rapunzel described her 6th birthday back in August.

(scroll down or click here if you want to skip right to the newest Bunker music video-wahoo!)

It really was quite a party; complete with 12 beautifully bedazzled princesses and a surprise visit from Flynn Rider himself (this guy not only stole Rapunzel's tiara but he also stole the whole show and 12 little 6-yr old hearts right along with it. The girls LOVED him!!!).

To prove just how much fun it was, I could show you...

the invitations (thank you Malufau's for letting me steal ALL your cute ideas):

the fun friends:

and the decorations (thank you Mom for the PERFECT window!):

(Avery did this display, I love it)

I could show you the crafts (man! do these 6 yr olds like to craft!!):

or the games:

and the Pascal family who also made an appearance:

I could show you the HAIR and the 12 frying pan necklaces we made (Jared does wonders with clay let me tell you, who knew?!):

and Flynn Rider:

(and his smolder)

and the Rapunzel tower cake:

and I could go on and on about the amazing helpers (thanks Kailee, Corb, Moena and Mich!):

or I could show you all the presents:

But instead of just showing you picture highlights of the day,

I'll let you see for yourself just why it really was the "Best Day Ever!!"

Happy Birthday to our growing little princess!!

We love our little Avery!

(I love my my Eugene too!)

...drumroll please...

2011-09-11T21:18:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the big day when we would find whether this little squirt is a boy or a girl. Since I wanted to make the announcement fun for the kids, that morning, while they were busy at a cousin sleep-over at Gramma's house, I made up 2 different cakes. One pink one if it was a girl and one blue one in case it was a boy. I figured I would need to prepare for both scenarios since there wouldn't be time after the dr.'s appointment to make just one of the appropriate color. I knew with Avery petitioning for a girl and Austin insisting it was a boy, I had to soften the inevitable disappointment of one of them in the true Bunker way...with chocolate!

So I made two cakes, cut them in half, stacked them, ate all the crumbs and voila! A 2-sided cake that looked very similar to a brain since you could see the two halves. Since there wasn't a whole lot of time and I knew the kiddies wouldn't care I just poured on extra fudge frosting and covered the thing in sprinkles. It worked out great since when we came home my mom, Cass and Michiko were there with all the kiddies awaiting the big news.

I'm SO glad we caught how it all played out on video. This will be going down in classic Bunker history...

I'm happy to announce that Avery warmed up to the idea of a BOY relatively quickly. In fact all during sacrament meeting today she kept smiling at my belly and leaning over to whisper in my ear,"Congratulations Mom!" It was pretty cute. Maybe she just needed some blue cake in her belly to help her digest the news better. I think Austin on the other hand, was just happy that he was RIGHT and Avery was WRONG in the on-going gender debate.

As for Jared and I, we already feel so VERY blessed to have a beautiful, spunky little girl and a sensitive, energetic little boy. So with any more additions, boy or girl, I think we already feel like our cup runneth over. This little guy will be so very blessed with an awesome big sister and a "super tool" big brother. I'm feeling awesome and the baby is healthy and especially with a plate of chocolate cake in hand, I couldn't be happier as we await his arrival.

Side note-I also feel a bit more justified that we have nearly a dozen light sabers, countless swords and Buzz Lightyear ray guns, balls galore, and enough superhero toys and matchbox cars to entertain a daycare. For one boy it might be a little much, but for TWO little boys?!? Totally justified. Right?!?

Blame it on the beach

2011-09-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

Just one of the many reasons why I haven't been blogging folks. The posts are coming, they really are. Just need all the action to slow down a bit first and for a break in all the fun. Maybe if we had a rainy day (ever) to keep us inside it would help me sit down and play catch up. Until then, we're enjoying the sun and the family...perhaps too much?! Nahhh.

Firsts

2011-09-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

It's official!

Our first born has had her first day of first grade.

She was just a little bit nervous at the thought of not having all of last year's friends in her class, but nothing that a closet full of new school clothes and new sparkley shoes (as requested) couldn't ease. She already knew her teacher so that made the transition that much easier. Plus as a first grader she was allowed to wear her very first backpack (hence her sideways pose so she could show it off).

They needed volunteers that day to help the first graders on their first day in the "cafeteria" area (really it's just a bunch of tables outside). One of the great things about Avery is that it doesn't take her long to make friends.

Avery found her first little "boyfriend" from last year (her words, not mine) right away (yes, that made me just a bit nervous...signs of things to come?!?!) and immediately began signing to him (he's deaf). Last year she became pretty good at signing but after a summer off, whether or not they were actual ASL signs, is debatable. He was a sport though and as kids tend to do, they didn't little things like not being able to talk to each other get in the way of their friendship.

Meanwhile, after cafeteria duty, Austin and I did our 2nd annual tradition of making a special first day of school treat for Avery. We did it last year and he was so proud when she came home to be able to show her what he made. This year was no different and this shirtless chef was pretty proud of the finished result (as was our little first grader). He has no problem being the first one to taste our creation as you can see.

It was the first time she's been at school all day and I was wondering if Austin would miss her. When I asked him if he did, he replied like a true brother would, "Not really." He's pretty flexible and him and I have gotten into our school time groove. He plays around by himself or with his toys, he wrestles Quincy, he plays with the hose, explores the yard looking for ants or lizards or anything else that moves, he helps me out around the house and goes where I go when we have errands to do. He's a nice companion to have around as long as I don't mind his constant chatter (I wish I was a ninja. Wouldn't it be super cool if I had a real sword? I want our car to be a transformer. I wish I could turn into a ball and then fly with my super powers. I like Batman. Astro Boy is so cool. What is faster Mom, a motorcycle or a race car? etc., etc., etc.)

We also had our first night of having a first day of school dinner and family home evening with my family. Avery helped decorate the table and as you can see Austin tried to share the credit.

My mom was in Utah but Corbin and Moena were in town which made it even more fun. (Don't mind the terrible picture of the fam, I only took one that night). All in all, it was a great first day and we're ready for another great year!

ComiCRAZIES

2011-08-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we had a Bunker first

which is always a fun thing for us.

We decided we would take the kids downtown

where this was going on.

From what we've read and seen on the news over the years,

we knew that it was a big deal

but we had no idea that it was such a B-I-G D-E-A-L.

We had such a GREAT time!

Right up from the convention center is the Gaslamp District which is such a fun part of town to walk around on a normal night, let alone when the comic con convention is in full swing.

Since it was difficult for the four of us to navigate the streets and intersections AND gawk and strain our necks doing double and triple-takes, we decided we should find a good place to plop so we could enjoy the sights. We scored a table right outside Ghiradelli's and ordered some ice cream sundae goodness so we could stare, ooh and awww in comfort as the crazies walked right in front of us. It was awesome!

Unfortunately, we didn't see the Twilight cast (dang!) but we did see some doozies in their place. At first the kids (Jared and I too) kept asking the "Why?" question (Why on earth are they wearing that? Why is that cute 8-yr old dressed like a zombie Rapunzel ? Why are we suddenly the only ones who don't seem crazy?) but after awhile you just stop asking and appreciate the people for who they were. It's sad to say, but after some exposure the craziness just starts to make sense.

Because why call when you can just text them?

Because sometimes even King Triton

needs to do some retail therapy.

Because who says that that Smurfette wasn't Asian?

Or didn't have a form of Smurf-leprosy for that matter?

Because where else would Iron Man

find a parking space downtown?

And where else would a guy like this get a job?

Because who says a bride and groom shouldn't be covered in blood splatter?

Because not every one can look like Michelle Pfeiffer.

Because it finally gives Austin an excuse for peeing his pants.

Because Avatars and Smurfs aren't the only blue people that deserve some attention.

And because rubber hair is so much easier to maintain.

Because patriotism shouldn't just end on July 4th

and because seriously, who doesn't like matching accessories?

Because sometimes even the Easter Bunny gets a little strapped for cash.
Because Justin Timberlake isn't the only person who can bring sexy back.

Because even big boys have little boy dreams

and anybody with a Y chromosome wants to secretly be a super hero.

Because cabs are expensive.

Because Darth Vader's cape has to get dry cleaned sometime

and because even evil villains can enjoy moments of quiet reflection.

Because even Tron needs a break from those darn video games.

Because, seriously, when else is he ever going to wear this?

Because San Diego has better weather than Gotham City.

Because this might just be the last year that we're not dressed up too.

Bunker/Mason Bonding

2011-08-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had our wonderfully fun friends the Masons come to visit. We first met in Boston before Avery was even born. Over the years we've had some serious bonding times with this family, whether it was camping in Vermont, watching Broadway plays and pounding the streets of New York, attending baptisms at Mt. Hope, Halloween parties at the Packers, birthday celebrations at the Shortells, fireworks and sand sculptures at Revere beach, checking out cranberry bogs or experiencing the Happiest Place on Earth with Disney's biggest fans. Whatever it is, you can be we have a great time when we get together. This weekend was no different.

It was so much fun to have them here and we tried to pack as much as we could into less than 48 hours. The weekend resulted in even more bonding experiences had by all.

There was tide pool bonding-

Brother/sister bonding-

Seal bonding-
Girly Bonding-

Boy bonding-

Princess sleepover bonding-

(where they did indeed sleep snuggled up in the same bed, partly because it was fun and partly because Avery had to prove me wrong. I told her there wasn't enough space and one or both of them would end up falling off but my challenge made it even more desirable and they did it. Both nights.)

There was bonding going at Old Town-

And some Bunker bonding on Mt. Soledad-Lots and lots 3 year old bonding (see prior post for more proof)-

Daddy bonding-

Mormon Battalion bonding-

Bonding over Casa de Guadalajara's pure deliciousness-

(with the added bonus of the mariachi band entertaining the kiddies)

And pretty sure there was some serious bonding going on with Jared and his dinner that night-

Since sometimes it's difficult to keep up friendships after you're apart, even with the best intentions, we're so grateful that we can still have these bonding moments with these wonderful friends so we can still stay so close to them. It's even better that our kids are such great friends too, minus the water works when it was time to say goodbye. That part was a bit emotional, even for Austin who started pouting. Thank goodness for Disneyland because where there's Disnyeland, there's the Masons and where there's the Masons, you're bound to find the Bunkers too. I'm sure we'll be seeing them again, hopefully sooner than later. We love you Masons!

a classic tale

2011-07-31T20:48:00.001-07:00

boy meets girl

girl likes boy

...so she holds his hand

boy likes girl

...so he puts grass in her hair

girl kisses boy

boy immediately reacts

(by wiping it off of course)

boy realizes he will never understand girl

boy and girl are friends again

If we were pioneers-

2011-07-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

If we were pioneers. . .

I s'pose we'd call this the ole' Bunker homestead.

If we were pioneers. . .

we'd put Miss Avery on kindling duty since she took to it so well.

While she'd be pickin' up them cow pies

Austin could hunt down them buffalo

with his rootin' tootin' high falutin' rubber band gun.

If we were pioneers. . .

heck, I reckon we'd probably put Avery in charge of finding our water hole too,

she spotted it right away

(notice our covered wagon parked out yonder)

while Austin, on the other hand,

would probably die of being "soooo fursty"

What can I say,

this kid doesn't take too kindly to being parched.

If we were pioneers. . .

we woman folk probably wouldn't be smilin.'

Seriously.

Cleanin', cookin', birthin', motherin', sewin', slaughterin', laundry. . .in'

in the sweltering heat AND in the freezing cold

(this mama had a migraine and

come night fall she was ready to hit the hay)

If we were pioneers. . .

Avery would be a gonner.

Dead as a doornail.

Yup, snake bite.

Poor thang, didn't even see it hidin' there 'tween the corn bread.

If we were pioneers. . .

Austin wouldn't mind eatin'

his poor snake-bitten sister's helpin'

of corn bread nor would he probably mind getting first dibs

on riding shotgun in the covered wagon.

If we were pioneers. . .

We decided our poor Einstein of a pooch

wouldn't make it past the homestead.

He'd go chargin' after some jack rabbit

or get distracted by some gopher

or worse yet, we'd find him chowin' down on our 3-months worth

of food rations in a single meal.

We'd be stuck crossin' the plains eatin' dog.

If we were pioneers. . .

we probably wouldn't be eatin' no homemade ice cream

nor shakin' no bag to make it neither

nor would we be topping it with

chocolate syrup and crushed Butterfingers

Happy Pioneer Day from the Bunkers!

And of course,

many, many, many thanks

to the REAL Bunker, Dean and Stotts pioneers

who came across the plains,

sacrificed so much and

went through trials that stunk to high heaven

so we Bunkers (thank goodness!) don't have to.

Bunker Boom

2011-07-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

January 16, 2012

There will be definite fireworks.

We can't wait!

Jared Jr.

2011-07-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

Lest there were any doubts whose son he really is...

We just did the final bed check and found Austin like this.

2 questions come to mind:

1.) Why is our son clenching floss in his sleep?!?

2.)Where in the world is his pajama shirt?

His recent daily quest to become "Tarzan"

has now spilled over into bedtime too apparently.

We just can't seem to keep this kid fully clothed these days.

Sigh.

At least he knows the importance of flossing.

I doubt Tarzan would approve.

"But I wanted to look COOL!"

2011-07-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

Manly Bonding

2011-07-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

If you were a FLY on our wall today...

2011-07-12T20:58:00.000-07:00

. . .you would be DEAD.

Seriously.

Because that's what super heroes do.

Smash bugs.

Wrestle.

Fly.

Eat.

(sherbet ice cream was today's refreshment of choice)

Exercise their powers of cuteness.

REPEAT.

It's Official!

2011-07-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

Lazy days at the pool-

Sprinkler fun-

Spending ALL day in a swimsuit-

(Those of us under 10 at least.)

Pool play dates with lots of friends-

Family picnics in new places-

Homemade lemonade as a summer treat-

And of course, summer sweets!

Summer

officially

HERE!

And we

L-O-V-E

it!

Padres Mormon Night

2011-07-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know us well, you know we Bunkers don't need a big reason to get dressed up. Chinese Night, Princess Night, Cinco de Mayo, Zorro night...you name it, even the slightest hint of a wanna-be holiday or themed date night and out comes our costume boxes.

Last week though, we actually had a legitimate reason to dress up. We were asked to be a part of the pre-game Padres ceremony on Mormon Night at Petco Park. We were asked to represent the Mormon Battalion. Jared was the Captain Lieutenant and was actually in charge of the marching and color guard's carry orders for the National Anthem. He had quite a few orders to memorize and he was tempted to cheat and just write them on his hands but he did just great on his own. Maybe he missed his calling in high school to be in marching band afterall.

Before the game we got to go through the VIP gate (oooohh) and hang out here in the "Green Room" (aahhhh).
Then we were escorted onto the field in front of the Padres' dugout where we met some of the players and explained why in the world we were dressed up the way we were.

This is also where we were prepped about the importance of NOT stepping on the white chalk lines or it would be bad luck for the Padres. This is a bit easier said than done, especially for poor Jared when they had strict instructions to look straight ahead and NOT get out of step. He did great though so they can't pin their loss that night can't on the Battalion Bunkers.

Though the Battalion was comprised of 500 men, many women and even children accompanied them on one of the longest military marches in history. In case you're wondering, the Padres would only allow 6 of us on the field so poor Austin wasn't invited. We didn't lose him along the the trek from dysentery or consumption. He was in good hands up in the stands with his Gramma and Aunt Cass.

It really was an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime experience and by the end I was happy we were invited to be a part of it. I hope Avery remembers it because it's not likely we'll be invited back onto that field any time soon, unless Jared moonlights as a field manager and gets to mow the lawn sometime.

After we changed and went back to our seats, the rest of the game was equally as fun. Jared showed off his baseball skills by catching a ball out of no where from the "Pad Squad."

Austin was just a little bit excited.

It took Austin awhile to get his bearings but once he figured out where all the action was he was back in the game.

The Padres had some extra cute, extra loud cheerleaders that night.

Half way through Avery got together with her little girlfriends and then the cheering really stepped it up a notch. Pretty sure they didn't even watch a single play on the field but that sure didn't stop them from having the time of their life that night.

I love free give-away nights, we all got Padres beach towels that night. Yay! Now if they would only have free dinners, oil changes and grocery giveaways, we'd be totally set.Uncle Mike and Christina even went with us which made the night that much more fun. But if they thought they could win over our children by buying them Padres hat dipping dots ice cream at the snack bar....

The were TOTALLY RIGHT! The kids LOVED it. Pretty sure Mike & Christina are their new best friends.Speaking of best friends, I had a pretty good time with mine that night too.Oh and remember that VIP gate we got to go in? Well, once we changed out of our 1840 clothes and went back out through that gate that's obviously where the VIP treatment ended. Not that they didn't put us up in the best seats of the stadium afterwards to show their gratitude. Check out these sweet seats we scored. If you squint you can almost make out the players from these seats. But that's okay, to be honest I'm like my kids and didn't watch a whole lot of the game either. I was a bit distracted with this handsome little guy. I love him!!

Our Pursuit of Happiness

2011-07-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome 4th of July this year.

Though we are always so appreciative,

for ALL the rights, liberties and freedoms

that our forefathers

and the armed forces ever since

have fought and sacrificed so much for,

this weekend we especially enjoyed

our unalienable rights of life, liberty and

the pursuit of happiness,

and more specifically

our right to peaceably assemble:

~At the tide pools

~At our ward's big 4th of July breakfast

(at the park right by our house)

~At Gramma and Grampa's house

for a BBQ dinner and for some quality family playtime

~At the pool

(so Jared and I could leave early

and go peaceably assemble

at the movie theater to watch Super 8

while the kids swam with Gramma- thank you Gramma!)

~And finally (and best of all according to Austin)

we enjoyed our right to peaceably assemble

on top of my parents 2nd story roof

to eat ice cream cones

and watch fireworks

(no slips or falls off of it either

so there was no emergency assembly

at the ER either-whew!)

**One last thing, for those of you wondering, the Americana wedding cake that Quincy chowed down on turned out fine so he doesn't have to worry about my right to bear arms.

Busted!

2011-06-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

Who: Quincy Barkley Bunker

What: the 3 tier cake wedding I'm working on for some friends of ours daugter's wedding

When: Right before mutual after a full day of baking the 6 layers and I was finally done and as I was frantically trying to fix dinner, pick up the house, entertain the kiddies, clean up all the cake batter and cake pans and hurry and take a quick shower before Jared came home and I had to leave

Why: because he's a naughty, naughty dog

How: By channeling his inner-cat and jumping on the chair and then relying on his innate canine skills to "woof" down the cake before I came out and sentenced him to an evening outside (he's lucky he missed a life sentence of being listed on Craig's list under "free dog")

How does the defendant plea? GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY

Mermaid Madness

2011-06-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

How To Host the Perfect Mermaid Party

(as hosted by my very talented sis-in-law

and attended by yours truly and kidlets)

1.) Begin with a super cute birthday girl who eats, sleeps, and dreams Little Mermaid in all ways, shapes, and forms.

2.) Add some crazy cousins, a super cool Gramma, throw in some excited aunts and some fun friends. If you're REALLY feeling brave, invite the itty-bitty 2-year old terror from the ward to wreak havoc on all the other kids twice her size and twice her age. It will make for a great story afterwards and the sight of 8 grown kids running out of the room from her with her tottering after them will keep the aunts giggling for days.

3.) Have a perfectly planned under-the-sea menu, even if the kids are too hyped up to eat any of it. The parents will definitely make up for it as they eat, and eat, and eat!

4.) Bring on the sugar! Preferably in the form of (but not limited to) a super-cutesy Ariel cake, matching cupcakes and all-you-can-eat Swedish fish.

(Seriously, check out the look on those kids' faces.

Pure pre-frosting euphoria.)

5.) Plan super clever party games, prizes and party favors that keep the party rockin' and will help at parent pick-up time when everyone is trying to find their "special" sea creature under all the toys, wrapping paper, and cake crumbs.

6.) Don't forget presents. (Not that you could with 9 kids reminding you every 5 minutes that you need to open presents. **Talk about having "gadgets and gizmos a plenty and ooz-its and whats-its galore." Try finding the "perfect" Mermaid present that the b-day girl doesn't already have. Yeah, not going to happen. Don't even get me started on thing-a-ma-bobs.).

7.) Keep the "party real" by kindly inviting the two boy cousins who instead of joining in the Mermaid melee prefer to happily sit and smile at balloons (Porter) ...

...and (Austin) having the time of his life throwing his paper jet across the room (and into ears, faces, necks, etc) who also apparently refuses to smile for the camera or eat "pink" cake for that matter. Don't you worry though, he lowered his "manly" standards when he saw that the cupcakes were chocolate...even if the frosting was purple.

8.) Throw in an impromptu dance party to make the night a raging success and to see how those little 3 and 5 yr olds can really shake their booties.

9.) Pay no mind to the random cousin "secret spy" after-party. Especially Austin, the shirtless secret-cat-spy speaking into his secret watch transmitter. Very high-tech stuff.

10.) Recover from the under-the-sea shin dig with what else? A trip to the hot tub with all the cousins and their parents (who just happened to have brought their swimsuits) And end the most memorable Mermaid night with a big group cousin hug!

Great job B&M Dean!! Especially Michiko!!

Way to set that birthday party standard waaaay high.

LOVE this Guy!

2011-06-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

Avery-

I love Daddy because he lets us play tickle-wrestle. It's where you tickle and you wrestle at the same time.

I love Daddy because he lets us play hide-and-seek and takes us to the movies and plays musical chairs. But I'm the champion. He always cheats. He moves the chair so I lose.

I love Daddy because he reads stories to me and does funny voices like a pirate and King Julian. It's okay that sometimes he almost falls asleep when he reads. One time he fell asleep when you were working Mommy and Austin and I turned on the tv and watched it. And I made popcorn for us.

Austin-

I love Daddy because he plays with me and plays Star Wars. I win him because I fight him with my Star Wars sword that lights up.

Daddy is fun because he takes us to Disneyland and to Sea World. And he takes us to a garage sale and to a cool store where we can buy cool things. He takes us to the beach and to the pool. He throws me up high and holds me up high like Simba. I go under water and I know how to go under water. I jump on Daddy's shoulders and it didn't hurt him and I jumped off. It was amazing!

Daddy gives us swirl ice cream. He is tough, his arms have big rocks in them. When I get out of bed at night Daddy says, "Get in bed." Then if he sees me again he says like a robot, "I-will-turn-off-the-light" so I hurry and tuck myself in with my cape.

Happy Father's Day

to our

one-of -a -kind

"very tool,

best hero and coolest,

funnest,

best dad ever."

We LOVE you!!!

Everything Grows...

2011-06-16T12:46:00.001-07:00

...including our little daughter who is now an official 1st grader.

For all you veteran parents out there

this probably isn't a big deal

but we Bunkers consider it a huge achievement.

Not only did Avery do GREAT with all her classroom learning

(especially considering she started at age 4)

we, as a family,

survived one FULL year of

packing a lunch every day,

remembering to bring said lunch,

remembering to bring folder home,

remembering to bring folder to school,

morning drop offs,

afternoon pick ups,

signing out,

signing in,

volunteering each week,

weekly homework packets,

weekly library book returns,

$ donations,

holiday donations,

classrooms donations,

teacher gifts,

cute hair-do's

hunting down missing [insert folder/shoes/book/etc.]

as we're running out the door,

You get the idea.

Hardest of all was not being able to just pack up and run up to Disneyland at our every whim or spend the entire day playing at the beach. Again, you veteran parents are probably shaking your head at this but it really was a tough transition for us as first time kindergartner parents who were used to having day trips and play dates whenever and wherever. That's part of the joy of having young kids, isn't it?

Even though my dad swears that Avery never goes to school and gives us a hard time when we would try to sneak in a quick D-land trip, we tried our best to balance being "responsible" parents with having memorable fun family days. It may be silly but Jared and I are pretty dang proud of ourselves for completing our first parental year of school. Whew! I'm happy it's summer where we can return again to our full days of playing without the daily hustle and bustle that comes with school. (But talk to me in August... I may be counting down the days until school)

The graduation itself was super cute and very well done.

Avery was SO excited and couldn't wait to get all doodied up for the big event.

Her teacher was awesome, hope she's still around when it's Austin's turn.

My favorite part?

After the program the entire school lined up to clap the graduate's hands as they walked back to the kindergarten area with "Celebrate Good Times" blasting on the school's intercom. I had no idea they do that and it was a really nice touch. The poor little kids couldn't feel their hands by the end of the line but I suppose that is part of the fun.

Austin's favorite part?

The endless supply of oreos and grapes at the reception afterwards.

Avery's favorite part?

Gramma was able to be there

(she did tell me she was hoping everyone in our family could come,

I had to tell her that Utah, Vegas, Washington and even Fullerton

are just a bit too far for people to come down to her graduation for)

Not to worry though,

Gramma brought both her and Austin a graduation gift and she felt a lot better after that

Come to think of it this graduation cost us a lot less than the last one the Bunkers had...

and Jared didn't even get to keep HIS cool hat.

This is Avery's cute, best friend and they are practically inseparable,

which is why she's in the "family" picture here.

Avery practiced for weeks all of these songs for the program and even is still singing them around the house..

I think they did a great job and I loved watching them belt it out.

This is serious entertainment.

I combined highlights of some of the songs they sang in this video but I know how it is; things like this are fun for parents and maybe grandparents to watch. Beyond that, it's stretching it...even for siblings. So no pressure to watch, it's more for documentation sake than anything else. For those of you feeling brave, put up your feet, grab some popcorn and enjoy. 3 things you should know though:

1.) Avery is on the very left in the polk-a-dot dress (her BFF is in the front with the big smile, she's fun to watch too) and at the very end she is indeed telling Jared "Dad, that's embarrassing!" She has no idea what's in store for her.

2.) her school is big into integrated learning with ASL students, her best little buddy is deaf, which is why the program is being sigend (and is also why Avery still signs to us all the time at home. even when we have NO idea what she is saying)

3.) the first song "Everything Grows" can get stuck in your head for days...you've been warned.

Fun Final Days

2011-06-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

First was pajama day-

Followed by hat day-

Jared went to the school that day to volunteer.

He said his hat was just a bit distracting.

I told him he should be proud.

That's what a true pirate would do;

disrupt the learning process of innocent and impressionable young minds.

Which was also the long awaited

and highly anticipated

cafeteria day-

But most exciting of all was

GRADUATION day!!

(stay tuned!)

A week later...

2011-06-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

...and our stroller STILL smells like campfire smoke.

It was totally worth it though.

Especially because we got to spend the evening

with my fun cousin Stacey and her cute little family.

There were sandcastles,

second cousins

(or cousin once removed

or whatever

my cousin's kids would be to our kids??)

s'mores,

an over-dressed dentist,

(he came straight from work)

a beach picnic,

and

of course

a beautiful sunset.

Here I am before I hit the waves.

Yeah right.

Unless it's a hot sunny day,

and I mean HOT

I'm perfectly happy

snuggled up with all my layers

on the beach

especially if I'm

snuggled up

to this guy.

Change of Plans

2011-06-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

Our original plan for Monday was that I would have a baby. It's funny how things change though and after this last Nov/Dec our lives have gone in a different direction than what we had originally planned. On Sunday in Young Womens the lesson was on Eternal Perspective and I realize that that is exactly what the miscarriage has given us. Nothing gives you that kind of perspective than the reminder that we are not in charge of when we come or go from this from this earth. What a comfort to know that despite our best intentions of planning things out in this life, we have a loving Heavenly Father who can see all all things and knows which plans are the best of all for us. It of course makes me grateful for the best plan of all, the Plan of Happiness. That's a plan I can count on.

So instead of our original plans, we made plans to spend the day at Disneyland. That plan worked.

Everything was in our favor; Jared wasn't scheduled to work, Avery is basically in the final playing stages of kindergarten, Austin has been itching to go like crazy and I'm up for anything so we popped up and spent a magical day at the magical kingdom. The weather was perfect, the kids were thrilled and since there's no way we'll go during the summer rush it was a great way to tie us over until August or so when things clear out again.

(I wanted Avery to look at me for the picture but she informed me she had to keep her "eyes on the road" while she was driving, especially because a policeman might see her. Hope she remembers that line when she's 16.)

It's always so much fun when we can spend the day together as a family, let alone at Disneyland. What made it even more special was all those fruits and veggies that Avery has been eating finally paid off and she was finally tall enough to go on Indiana Jones. That is pretty much the ultimate rite of passage in Jared's eyes and you could tell it was a big moment for them both when they entered that jungle pathway leading towards those ancient temple ruins. Avery loved it. So did Jared. Meanwhile, Austin had his choice of what he wanted to do and lately he LOVES the train ride (especially the random dinosaur part) so him and I headed aboard and away we went....

...With a few pit-stops along the way of course. Okay, more than a few. Seriously, I spent more time with this view than I did in line. Almost makes me miss those good ole' diaper days when we didn't have T minus 30 seconds to find the nearest bathroom before total blastoff. He did GREAT though and I had to laugh when he would remember each bathroom ("This is my favorite fancy bathroom" or "This is the bathroom Gramma always takes me to" or "We've already been in this bathroom 2 times!"). That kid knows Disneyland and their bathrooms inside and out.

We saw a few new sights too which is always nice when you're on your second season of the kingdom. We saw the new parade (lots of princesses=big Bunker hit) and right when we thought our legs were going to fall off in exhaustion, our crazy-selves headed over to California Adventure to check out the new Little Mermaid ride (also a big hit).

There was a bit of a wait for that ride but luckily our kids never cease to find a way to amuse themselves or everyone else in line for that matter.

We also stopped off at the Lego store in Downtown Disney and thanked our lucky stars that our wallets don't have to support Austin's addiction to that yet. On the way home, the kids were zonked out in the back seat before they could even dent their Wendy's frostys (how's that for a healthy post-Disneyland dinner for you?) which tells you just how exhausted they were. Don't you worry, Jared and I polished off ours AND theirs (waste not, want not right?).

Side Note- After a day of playing nonstop yesterday I thought today I should work on cleaning the house, specifically the floors which hands-down is the least favorite part of cleaning for me (which is probably why they were so long over due for some TLC). I had to laugh though when, after sweeping and mopping for what seemed like forever today, Avery asked me who was coming over. I asked her why she thought that and she answered bluntly, "because you're cleaning the floors." Apparently I need to buckle down and clean them more...or invite people over on a weekly basis so they get clean because apparently that's the only time I clean them. Or maybe I should just bag them all and just go back to Disneyland. Now there's a plan.

Our Bunker Mullet

2011-06-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

Apparently we have a Bunker mullet in our home.

Avery recently made us one with our coffee,

-ahem-

I mean our TV table

(Avery has informed me it is NOT a coffee table,

since we don't drink coffee,

rather it's a "TV table." Point taken.)

Anyway, back to our Mullet TV Table-

Where it's all

Business on top.

But a PARTY below.

(I especially love the upside down kitties, I think that's a nice touch)

Just one more reason why we love our Avery.

Memorial Memories

2011-05-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

We had a great Memorial Day and loved spending the day together as a family. We had our new family favorite, Peterson's Donuts for breakfast followed by:

a little bit of Acrobatic Training,

Baseball,

Swimming,

Flying,

Sun Bathing,

followed by a super scrumptious BBQ

at our friend's the Cherrey's house

where there was,

of course,

a little bit of dancing!

Oh the Places We've Been!

2011-05-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

It seems like the normally fast paced Bunker life that we have come to know has now slipped into high gear with even more responsibilities, activities, parties, meetings, commitments, etc., etc., coming at us as quickly as we can jot them on our calendar. We've had family visiting, friends moving, end of year celebrations to prep for, Stake changes (they moved 2 stakes into 1), ward changes (Jared now has 40 new Elders and I have 12 Mia Maids!), trips to the dr., trips to the radiologist, a trip to Vegas for Jared, 3 rounds of a killer cold and of course all the normal hullabaloo that comes with day to day Bunker living. As I'm sure you all feel like too, it seems like we are constantly on the move running around from one place to another.

We can't complain though, it basically feels like our life is one kind of play date after another. And if you ask Avery or Austin, who doesn't LOVE a play date?!

We've had

Pool Play Dates

Vegas Play Dates

(for GP Leu's surprise 80th birthday party)

Mission Bay Cousin Play Dates

Tide Pool Play Dates

Kite Flying Play Dates

Super Hero Birthday Play Dates

Cousin Play Dates

Yes, even a few

Doggie Play Dates for Quincy

Picnic Play Dates

I watched some friends' kids the other day. We had 6 kids under 6.

One 5 yr old, three 3 yr olds and two 1 yr olds.

My kids loved it!

Austin had his best little buddies over to play super hero

and Avery had two "babies" to dress up, have tea parties with and swoon over.

S'more Play Dates

and of course my personal favorite-

Hot Tub Play Dates

These weeks have certainly been full!

We've had a ton of fun,

been a lot of places,

with lots of people we love

and let's just say

I'm ready for a nap.

Oh the Places You'll Go!

2011-05-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest things that I can happily check off my "Done!" list is our Young Men & Young Women Senior Roast Night. Our ward has a tradition of doing this for all the graduating Seniors and I was put in charge of planning it (which is a bit tricky considering I've never been to one).

When Jared graduated from college his grandparents gave him the "Oh the Places You'll Go" Dr. Seuss book (thank you Leus!) and I used that as the theme for the night. Each senior had a video made of them (lots of embarrassing bare bum, braces and bathtub pictures) and each was "roasted" by a family member as we chowed down on strawberry shortcake for dessert. In the end I think it was a great night for everyone. These youth are pretty amazing, I was impressed. I figured there would be 60 people at the most and ended up with quite a few more. Jared, my mom, and all the kids came by to drop off some supplies for me but ended up staying for the whole thing. Avery spend the entire time out in the garage with all her little friends trying to chase down some little kittens to pet. My mom and Jared were life savers helping me set up and clean up and it was so fun to have them there .

I worked on a few decorations to fit the theme-

These were placed all around the house and outside when you were coming in. They were kind of fun to do.

I bought 8 copies of the book for each senior and all the old and new leaders and the Bishopric all wrote a little note inside each one. Hopefully the seniors will hold onto them, maybe eve read them to their kids one day...or maybe I'll find them at the Salvation Army next week. :o)
I wrote a little poem Dr. Seuss style that fit with the book. Kind of a "Oh the Places You'll Go" Mormon version and the YM and YW president read it at the beginning. It made me appreciate Dr. Seuss even more...writing poetry that is borderline nonsense, borderline profound words of advice is trickier than it looks.

I was so relieved by the end of the night to have it over, until a bunch of younger YW came up to me and said how they couldn't wait until it was their turn to have a Senior Roast.

One year at a time, right?

Rockin' Reception

2011-05-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

As anyone who has ever wrapped a household present in way too much white tissue and pastel wrapping paper and gotten all dolled-up to go to a wedding reception knows, there are receptions and then there are

receptions.

My brother's was definitely the latter.

There are a few essential things to ensure that a reception is the party of all parties and Corbin and Moena's had them all.

Let's start with the basics:

a Beautiful Blushing Bride

(check!)

a Good-Looking Groom

(check!)

The Favorite Sibling

(check)

Perfect Location & Perfect Weather

(check! check!)

Food, Food and More Food!

All-you-can-eat DeMille's Italian food?!

Count the Bunkers in.

Open Bar

Mormon Style of course

Keep that kickin' lemonade coming!

HOT Men

Jared did a fantastic job as the Emcee

he's a natural with a microphone I tell you

More HOT Men-literally

So much for a dress code,

you can't take those Malufaus anywhere I tell you

Entertainment for the Kids

Who needs a playground

when "Little Austin"

and all the other kiddies can climb

on "Big Austin" for 6 hours straight?

Just one more reason why we love Corbin's best buddy

Decorations
Who knew that tulle is so
decorative,
utilitarian,
and downright FUN?!
Fun Family and Family Friends
What's a reception without the out-of-towners that you love but haven't seen in forever? It was especially fun to see my cousin Cortney and her hubby Ted since I haven't seen them in 10 years. Crazy!
And let's not forget the Griffin family who keep coming back to visit the Dean family with all our craziness for some reason. Definitely the mark of true friends.

Beautiful Single Ladies

Cake, Cake, Cake!

Chocolate cake at that

(yes, I made it so don't look too closely)

Any left-overs?

Not a chance!

The last crumbs were licked clean that night.

Literally.

What's a wedding without

a whole

LOTTA LOVE?!

Old McAvery Had a Farm

2011-05-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

There was a classroom that had some kids, E-I-E-I-O

And those kids went on a trip E-I-E-I-O

With a long walk here, and a juice box there

Here a kid, there a kid, every where a kid, kid

There was a classroom that had some kids E-I-E-I-O

And those kids went to a farm, E-I-E-I-O

On that farm there were some pigs E-I-E-I-O

With a big snort here, and giggle there

Here a a hand, there a snout, every where a kid's shout

San Pasqual High School has a farm E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm they saw some cows, E-I-E-I-O

Besides that cow there were some sheep, E-I-E-I-O

Getting sheared here, getting sheared there,

Here's some fur, there's some wool, everything's oh-so-cool

San Pasqual High School has a farm, E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm they had a greenhouse, E-I-E-I-O

And in that house, they grew some plants, E-I-E-I-O

Lots of dirt here and even more over there.

Here a leaf, there a seed, every where are plants, plants

San Pasqual High School has a farm, E-I-E-I-O

Avery Bunker had a blast, E-I-E-I-O

With her little bro and mom as chaperones, E-I-E-I-O

With one BFF here and one BFF there,

Here a friend, there a friend, everywhere a special friend,

Avery Bunker had a blast, E-I-E-I-O

Los Bunkeritos

2011-05-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

uno Cinco de Mayo-

una hija bonita-

uno Zorro muy guapo-

una "mamacita"-

uno Poncho Villa-

mucho comida Mexicana-

Y una familia muy contenta!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!!

Eggsellent!

2011-05-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

Eggsellent would definitely be a great word to describe our Easter this year. Thanks to my little brother getting hitched, we got to share it with ALL of my brothers and sisters since everyone was in town. It was so much fun having everyone together, a first for my family in a long time.

Being able to hear the blessings promised in the temple during my brother's sealing, being together as a family all weekend and reflecting on the great love that our Savior has for us to give us all of these blessings really made this Easter season especially meaningful and poignant this year. I'm not going to lie, the last 6 months or so haven't been the easiest time for us Bunkers, dealing with my miscarriage and trying to figure out work for Jared but I can't think of a time when I have depended on my Savior more and for that I am grateful. Let's just say I don't feel like I'm ahead of the curve in trying to understand life lessons and I'm grateful for my Savior's patience with me as I bumble along trying to figure out how I can improve and what I need to learn along the way. Though it's difficult to really grasp, I feel like I'm beginning to understand the Atonement a little bit more and am grateful the Savior was willing to take upon Himself all our pains, our sins and our suffering so that we can return to live with Him and our Father in Heaven someday. What a comfort that knowledge is.

So although we had a great time with dyed eggs, candy eggs, plastic eggs, chocolate eggs, gumball eggs, deviled eggs and all sorts of fun hunts along the way trying to find them all, what really made this Easter special was the reassuring knowledge that we have a Savior. That He lives. That He loves us, wants the very best for us and knows exactly what the best thing for us is, even when we don't, or when we think we do, but we don't really. Even when we feel like we are in over our heads, that we lack faith, or like we're a pinball getting bounced around from side to side, He is our Savior. I'm grateful for this year's Easter lesson, for me at least, that we have a Savior who loves us SO much that He doesn't always answer our prayers, at least not in the way we expect or want Him too. I'm grateful He knows us better than we even know ourselves and will give us what we NEED and not just what we think we want. This knowledge is what made Easter really Easter for me this year. And for that I'm thankful.

And the kids favorite part? The CANDY!! As much as we tried to teach them about the Resurrection, Jesus Christ and the true meaning behind Easter, it's difficult to compete with a seemingly unlimited supply especially in such cute, pastel-foiled wrappers. They had a great time with all their hunts: two days before Easter with some ward friends, Easter morning at our house and finally with the big hunt at Gramma and Grampa's house with all their cousins. I have to add, the kids did me proud, they didn't let my egg-seeking skills from my genes go to waste. They did great and I have to say, they looked pretty darn cute doing it too....

(We went to an incredible house for the hunt...luckily they had this great playground to keep the kids busy while the dads stashed the goods)

Easter morning at the Bunkers.

That Easter Bunny is SO polite,

he even wiped his furry feet before coming in.

Awww...

Avery was definitely impressed.

So impressed that she'll start wiping her feet too?

I'm not holding my breath on that one.

My mom took one look at this picture,

laughed out loud and said

it's easy to know who wears the pants in our family.

I'll give you one guess...

We felt so bad leaving Quincy everyday while we played with my family so we arranged to have his best 4-legged friend (my parent's dog Molly) over for a playdate/sleep-over. They run around like crazy until they're totally pooped, it's like an all-day walk, it's great.

Austin was a trooper on Easter taking Molly back.

The kids thought it was hysterical that she made herself so comfy at the expense of poor Austin. I don't think I'd be that patient.

Did I mention we had my brother's cat in the car too?

Who not only insisted on sitting on Jared's lap

but "meowed" at him the whole time.

2 kids, 2 adults and 2 furry friends

Yup, that's how we roll.

Our egg dying party was the night of Corbin and Moena's wedding.

I don't know where the kids get their energy,

they were seriously going strong that night.

We adults were trying our best to keep up.

Luckily, we enlisted reinforcements:

Brittany our long time family friend

and Corb's mission friends,

Jeff and Marcus (from Germany)

The kids took this egg dying business very seriously.

Forget about Wanka's golden ticket,

my golden egg is where it's at.

Porter supervised.

Have I mentioned how much I love this guy?

Now for the hunt...

Awww, how nice Uncle Taylor is helping the little kids.

Awww, so is Aunt Kailee.

Just makes me wonder why Scouter ended up

with only hard boiled eggs in her basket at the end.

Weird.

Avery on the other hand knows better.

That candy isn't leaving her sight.

Brandon never was very good at finding eggs,

this year he kept it simple

and hunted down my mom's beets instead.

They're harder to miss.

Too bad none of us like them,

just one of these could feed our family for a week.

A sign of a truly eggsellent day.

Happy (belated) Easter!

Church and State

2011-05-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning at breakfast-

Avery, "So Elder Obama is really dead, huh?"

Tying the Knot

2011-04-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful, long-awaited day this was! What a blessing to know that we can not only be married until "death do us part" but that we can be sealed forever together as a family in a Temple that is quite literally, the Lord Jesus Christ's. Corbin and Moena's sealing was especially touching, the Spirit was so strong and there weren't many dry eyes by the end. I'm so proud of my little brother and the good decisions that he has consistently made throughout his life. We're so happy to have Moena in the family, she's a wonderful addition. The reception will be in 2 days so lots more pictures/fun to come!

Jared's Smolder and So Much More

2011-04-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

I know I'm super behind in my blogging but I'll do my best to try to catch up. I normally enjoy blogging but just haven't felt up to it lately. It's been a good little respite just living life and not worrying about blogging about it but now I'll try to get back on board and catch up on all the fun things that the kidlets have been up to. Maybe then I won't feel so bad that journals haven't been written in for months and scrapbooks haven't been touched in who knows how long. Sigh. Oh well, as my dad likes to say, "So is life." So here are some of the highlights of Bunker life in the last month with more to follow (hopefully) soon.

Sunsets-

The other night we had a great time taking the kids to the beach for a pizza/movie party at La Jolla beach. That sneaky Easter Bunny has been leaving chocolate eggs and egg gumballs under their pillows all month long but he really surprised the kids when we were unpacking the car at the beach and found "Tangled" under all the blankets along with more chocolate eggs.

We must have been quite a sight, sprawled on the beach covered in blankets, shoulder to shoulder snuggled together watching "Tangled" on the portable dvd player. The kids each got up periodically during the movie, look around smiling, and pronounce "We're at the beach!" or Austin's "This is SUPER fun!" and even a "This is beautiful!" from Avery. It was pretty funny...we'll definitely have to do that more since it was such a big hit.

Check out Avery's multi-tasking skills.

Jared's Smolder-

Can't forget to put this in too.

I love this man.

Sea World-

On Jared's day off last week we thought we would pop on down to Sea World for the day. Everyone has their favorites there: Jared likes "Journey to Atlantis" (but he has to sweet talk Avery into going with her since she doesn't like to get wet and Austin is still to short), Austin likes the "Pets Rule" show, Avery likes the new "Blue Horizons" dolphin show and as for me...well, (after working there in HS and going there for most of my life) I like that they are so happy doing all these things. It's a great way to spend a day or an afternoon and it's fun to remember all the fun adventures I had with my brother there when we were around their ages. One thing hasn't changed in 25 years though...whether they call it "Captain Kids" or "Sesame Street Bay of Play" running around like a maniac 20 feet up on suspension bridges is still the biggest hit of the park.

Of course, it did take a bit longer to get there since we had a quick pit stop to make.

Shamu always looks better through a telescope, or a rolled up map in Austin's case.

Snake Park-

This isn't the real name but it's what Avery and Austin first called it and it kind of stuck. We had a great time playing a few weeks ago with my friend Berni Button and her five fun kids. A & A love playing with them and it's always a giant party whenever we get together. We ended up going to Mission Bay with them too and Avery has been asking to go there with them again ever since (sorry no pics of that, left my camera at home). After a pizza party in the backyard, we had a marathon adventure with them with a mini hike to the playground, then over to the duck pond, then over to the snake park and a hike back up to the house. All in all, the Bunker-Button play date was a raging success (hey, only 1 kid out of 7 fell in the duck pond and only a handful of scraped, bloody knees and 1 smashed toe by the end of the day...that's pretty good all things considered).

We did have to send out a SOS call to Jared on the walk home from our adventure. He had just come home from work and the kids' energy was running a bit low and whining a bit high in some cases. Not to worry though, the kids perked right up when they saw Jared and we all mustered up enough energy to make it home to scarf up some chocolate fudge cupcakes (for Berni's belated birthday). That sugar perked them right on up...just in time to send them off to their grandma and grandpa's house. (Sorry Kim and Tod) I love any time I get to spend with Berni, she's one of those amazing mom's that keeps her cool despite being out-numbered 5-1. Life is just more fun when she is around, even with smashed toes and water-drenched kids. And I love that my kids are now friends with my friend's kids.

Soccer-

Sadly, soccer has come to an end. It definitely ended on a high note though with a pizza party, cupcakes and of course the enviable medallion that Avery so proudly wore for the next two days. She had a great first season and even told me that she "loves" one of the players. I told her she's a little young for that and she said she will "save that feeling in her heart then for a long time." Where does she come up with this stuff? It was pretty cute though and perhaps that explains why when we bumped into this same "true love" a week ago at In-N-Out she didn't squeeze out more than a "Hi" to him. At that rate I suppose we don't have to worry too much.

Even Austin joined the post-party pick-up game.

She told us that night that she had definitely earned the "treemendous" tree for earning her medal and we whole heartedly agreed. Check out that face!

Sewing-

I was in charge of the combined YW night where we made little blankets for NICU babies. After my family's experience with my sweet little niece Cael who was born at 24 weeks this was especially nice to work on. I brought a few pictures of her so the girls would get an idea of just how small these little 1 lb babies can be. You could tell that the girls were really touched and they did a great job completing 10 blankets for the hospital. I love these young women and my chance to work with them each week.

Spring Break-

Lucky us, we get a 2-week Spring Break!!! We love it! The kids are having a great time so far staying up a bit later, sleeping in and playing hard in between. We've been keeping super busy and have had some fun with playdates at the beach...

...and at our house, including this "Tangled Tea Party" with Austin rotating between being the prince (or "pince" as he calls it) and the Booger Monster. Poor guy handles it surprisingly well.

It was a dark and scary night...

2011-04-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

It wasn't exactly dark and stormy but unfortunately it was definitely cool and rainy while the Oregon Bunkers came to visit. It's been in the 80's and 90's here this week but of course the one week they come for surf and sun they get one of our few weeks of rain in a year. They didn't get any sympathy either because everyone was so excited to have some rain.

They were troupers though and we still had a great time visiting the Mormon Battalion, eating our weight in Mexican food in Old Town, shopping at Sea Port Village, and doing kissing poses by the WWII sailor/nurse kissing memorial by the waterfront.

The girls, of course, had a gas being together and it was so fun to hear about Christiana's new fiance, Cherilyn's #1 place in the nation for shotput status (I'm still trying to get over that one, that's crazy! All our shotputters outweighed most adult men and yet she's so cute and girly.) and of course have some great "late" night conversations over milkshakes and sundaes each night (so happy to see we're not the only Bunkers that LOVE ice cream).

It's always great to be around family, it was so sad to see them go. Jared was able to get a wonderful Father's Blessing and Avery and Austin were able to have some great Gramma and Grampa time. Grampa Bunker left a little piece of him behind when Avery starting reciting this at the dinner table out of no where a week later. Jared has been telling this "story" for years that he had learned from his dad.

Proof positive that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and apparently those apples just keep falling.

Priceless

2011-03-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Soccer Registration- $73

Yearly Membership Rec Center Fee-$10

Team Picture- $13

Shin Guards- $0.75 (thank you Salvation Army!)

Shin Guards for Austin Since He Wanted Some Too- $1

Team Treats- $6

Snack Bar Treats to Keep Younger Fans Happy- 6 quarters

Cost of Gas for the Whole Family to Come and Cheer- $4

Being able to cheer for your daughter for the 1st time ever

(after 10+yrs of anticipation)-

PRICELESS

I'm not sure who's more sad the season is ending;

Avery, who blew people away

when they discovered that this was her first season

and yet played so naturally like she's been doing it for years,

or her proud daddy,

who finally got to see his little girl following in his footsteps,

who cheered/coached LOUDLY at every game he could speed on I-15 to make

(even if it was only for the last 5-10 min. he was there),

and who secretly thinks she got her talent from him

and that she'll be the next Ronaldinho.

World Cup 2026 here she comes!

No Pressure Avery.