10 Years Coming Right Up!

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I tell my students that a little bit of cheese is good. A lot, not so good. Well it's time for a little bit of cheese. I'm trying to beat her to this.

Kristine and I will celebrate our 10 year anniversary coming up this Friday, September 5th. Throughout it all, she has been patient with me, and supportive of me. She let me grow as a man and has helped me develop as a person and father. She was supportive when I decided to ditch my career plans as graphic designer. I was already working in the field and this required me to go back to school and finish my degree in Fine Art and get a teaching credential, and student teach for 1 year. She has been accepting of my vices, namely surfing and snowboarding. I have enjoyed seeing her grow as a woman, wife and mother. It is evident that I married up, and I know that I got lucky.

One quote sums up our journey together so far.
"Life is just what happens to you, while your busy making other plans."
- John Lennon

This is one of my favorite pictures of her. It is literally 2 hours before Liam was born. Every picture I have of her is amazing, but in this one she looks incredible. Happy anniversary Kristine. I love you. Thanks for being my squaw.

It's Magic

Seaworthy: Official Trailer from Nathan Oldfield on Vimeo.
Today was the day that officially ended my summer. I had to go back to work today and spent most of the day in boring, waste of time teacher's meetings. This is where we look at the previous year's state test scores and all kinds of other incredibly in depth data. That does not make me happy. This is the kind of stuff that makes me happy. The ocean is a magical place. I miss it already. I can't wait for saturday. The good news is that I already have a day off coming up in a week- Labor Day!
–Stew

Scandia with Van Buskirk Family

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When we got home from our trip to WA, we joined Stew's family (in Chino, CA) for some more family fun. We haven't seen Tim's family (Stew's brother) for almost 2 years. The cousins were excited to be together again. We had family pictures taken (which is a BIG job!), hung out to let the cousins play, and even went to Scandia! That was fun. I love this picture, because it is 3 generations, AND they are all Caine Van Buskirk. Terry, my father-in-law, his mom's maiden name is Caine, and so he carries the middle name, and passed it on to Stew. Now Liam carries it. Liam is the first Van Buskirk boy of his generation. He even looks like Terry's side of the family. Must be in the name. :) The cousins had fun riding the rides. We went home for lunch, (it's very close by) and then left Liam with Aunt Tara and Uncle Scott, while Stew and I went back with their boys and our girls. Tim's family had to leave back to AZ to visit more family. The boys were fun to hang out with. We got soaked on the bumper boats and road the race cars I don't know how many times! The "toaster" was the winner of the day. Caleb called it the toaster, because it was white like the bread, yellow like the butter, and I'm not sure where the toasting part comes in. Ask Kirra and she'll be happy to explain. ha ha It was a fun day! Thank you to Lynn and Terry who scheduled this all out. It was a fun week. Let's do this again, but sooner than 2 years. :)

Our Last Destination, San Francisco

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Our last stop on our trip, was through San Francisco. I grew up visiting here, because my Grand Dad lived here. A LOT of memories! He has since passed, and it was a touching trip remembering the times we had with him. We arrived in SF at noon and left at 6pm. Had dinner just outside of the city, and then slept in our own beds at home. It was quite the drive home. The kids were AWESOME! So worth the detour home. We saw Pier 39, the Golden Gate Bridge, and of course drove down the crookedest street in the world, Lombard St. The white SUV you see, is the Wieder's car coming down the street. She had her family plus Tracey's family in her car. We could have stayed hours more, but we were trying to get home for the next set of family coming in town. We had such a great trip. We accomplished all this within 7 days! I hope the kids can remember these fun and crazy memories!

Biplane Ride

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Tracey took some pictures of us going up. It was awesome! I just got these from her, that's why they weren't included in the last set. My parents flew up with Tracey, Shailey and Greyson in the back seat, and we flew with Lisa and Brent. ALL our girls were so bummed they couldn't go up. It was kind of pricey, so we told them maybe next year. They are all dare devils!

Arriving in WA

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We made it to our destination, Vancouver, WA. We had a family reunion there, with almost all my dad's family. (Michelle and Dallin were just married, and an Aunt couldn't make it.) It was quite the crew! My dad has 6 kids in his family, and that makes for 12 grandkids and 16 great grandkids (I think. It's hard to count them all). Needless to say, it was a very large group. Just the way my Grandma Oopeedoop loves it! It was a party! We started the Independence Day celebration on July 3rd, blowing up about $400 in fireworks. Then we blew some more up on the 4th, totally over $1000! I never realized my dad's family was so crazy! They were having so much fun blowing things up. At one point we all duck and covered as a "lady bug" came flying into the garage, causing only minor fire damage to a blanket. It was so much fun. Everyone got into the action with the fireworks. Also, on the 4th, Stew and I took a ride on a biplane. That was awesome. No cover or helmets. Just you, a lap belt, and the sky! My only problem was there wasn't enough dips and flips. (Lisa and my dad did it last year, and they said it was a lot more "roller coaster" then. Dang it!) But, a memory none the less. It was such a fun family reunion.

I'm the King of the Forest

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I have to post some pictures of Mr. Liam. I realize I can't get enough pictures of him. He just makes me laugh. He was 7 mo. on this trip and he was quite the traveler. He was amazing. Here are pictures of his first ice cream, eating an apple and playing raspberries with Aunt Lisa. We can't get enough of our little "king." He didn't care at all that he had this hat on. Recently we put some shorts on his head and he never pulled them off. I don't think he has a very "sensitive" noggin. :)

Next Stop, Train Museum in Sacramento

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Our next stop was a train museum that held real trains that you can tour through. There was a sleeping car and dining car that you could walk through to see how they lived on trains. Crazy. So small and squished. The movies always make it look so much larger and cozier. Stew came here with his grandparents when he was younger, and I think I had been here when I was younger too (can't remember). The last time we came I was pregnant with Julia. The kids had a great time. They each got a train charm that we put as a necklace (Liam's not included. He just holds it :) ). There are some pictures of the girls with their fans they bought at Sutter's Fort too. After the museum we walked to an ice cream parlor. Liam was in heaven! They had my ultimate favorite....BUBBLE GUM! No one carries that anymore. I wonder if i'll ever be too "old" for bubble gum ice cream! YUM!

First Stop for the Summer, Sutter's Fort

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We took a trip to Vancouver, WA for a family reunion at my Grandma Oopeedoop and Papa Speed's house for 4th of July. We took our time getting there and made our first stop in Sacramento. That's where we met up with my family and toured with them. Stew's grandparents lived there for years, so we made some stops at Stew's memories. We got to see the house of his grandparents. They have passed on, and it was special to be there. It was fun to share that memory with our kids. Kirra will be studying California history in school next year, so we made sure we stopped at some good CA tour spots. The girls enjoyed Sutter's Fort, and even bought their own chinese fans at the gift shop. Liam loved the canon that shot off at noon, and was unaffected by the boom!

The Thomases

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Michelle, the last and final Louis to be married, tied the knot on June 24, to Dallin Thomas. We could not have been more proud! We love Dallin. They are living in GA, so we won't get to see them too often. But we had a blast while they were here! Lots of partying and playing! Their wedding day was beautiful. Even in June, and it wasn't too hot! They were the most beautiful couple. Being on a Tuesday, no one else was being married that day, so they let all of us (sisters and our mom) go into the bridal room to help her get ready. (Usually it's too crowded) It was fun to share that moment with her and to be with all my sisters and mom in that beautiful room. Thank you to Brent (Lisa's husband) who kept the kids entertained, to Lynn and Terry (my in-laws) for helping keep my kids happy, and Katie (my cousin) for babysitting while we were in the temple. Party, Party!! It was a wonderful day!

Kindergarten Graduation

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Here are some cute pictures of Malia at her "graduation." This word always cracks me up. And I hear Mr. Incredible in my head every time. "He's moving from one grade to another." But, regardless, she looks adorable. Malia is my "fashion" girl. It was a luau, so we created a luau "look" that was still modest. Notice the accessories. She could have worn a sun-dress, instead she put this together. She usually dresses herself, but I have to approve sometimes or make some alterations. She cracks me up with the things she chooses, not because it doesn't match, but because she comes up with the most creative outfits,/layers, and looks great. She's beyond her years. Boy, are we in trouble when she hits high school! Yikes!

Liam Dance?

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We can't leave out Liam for the recital. He was such a trooper! Since the recitals were combined, it was a little longer than my piano recitals usually last. Liam was a PERFECT baby, if I may brag! Luckily he had some great family members there to hold him and keep him entertained. There were 35 dancers and 15 piano students performing. The dancers performed about 3 dances each and each piano student performed 2 songs. It seems like a lot, but it was the BEST recital to date. Here are some pictures of my Dad performing, my nephew Greyson, and my cousin Katie, just to name a few of my students. (We missed a pic of Kirra. Oops. We have it on video though. ha ha) My favorite thing with Trisha's performances, is the music is GREAT music and clean, the costumes are one of a kind and modest, and the dance moves are clean and AGE appropriate. I get tired of seeing recitals with little girls dressing like they are ready to hit the streets. (to put it delicately) This is Kirra's 4th studio, and I couldn't be happier! It's even better that it's their Aunt. I couldn't have been any prouder as a teacher and especially as a MOM!

Julia Dance

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Here are Julia's pics. Stew took the pictures for all the dancers, hence some of the "behind the scenes" shots. He took the pictures from our garage and he does an AMAZING job! Julia was such a doll in the show. My favorite dance was the Bassanova, because they shook their hips while they spun in a circle. I just loved watching her shake her hips. DARLING! This class was the "aaahhhh" of the crowd. This was Julia's first recital, and she did great! She danced to Bassanova, Animal Crackers, and Christmas TIme. Another performer for the Van Buskirk family!

Malia Dance

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Here are the pictures of Malia's dances. She was only supposed to be in 3 dances (Lollipop, Teddy Bear- by Elvis, and Andrews Sisters' Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree), but the other class that was her age, was small for the show. Trisha taught Malia the dances 3 days before the show, and she ROCKED! We were so proud. She loves to perform! Just ask her, and she'll dance for you. The other dances she did, were Papa Loves Mambo and Mr. Sandman.

Kirra Dance

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The girls were in a dance recital at the end of May (yes, I know, I'm a little behind.) We have been very busy since, and I am finally catching up. Kirra performed in 2 dances, and performed with the cheer squad. She also performed 2 piano solos. My sister, Trisha, is their dance teacher and since so many of her students are my piano students, we combined recitals. It was really fun. It had a good flow from dancers to piano players. The piano students performed while the dancers were changing. Kirra's 2 dances were "Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" and "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics. She performed 2 songs with cheer and 4 cheers. (She even got to lead one) I'm so proud of her. She really loves this!

A Day at the Zoo

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Every year we take the kids to San Diego Wild Animal park, on founder's day. It's free! Great tradition. The kids love it! This year my dad got to come. It was a very fun day! And it's never crowded! We even got to feed the birds. I was okay with one, then two, then three birds on my arm, but when the fourth landed, that was pushing the limits. Other kids were asking for me to share. YES! Take them! That's Malia's least favorite spot. The girls got to see their favorite animals. Kirra loves the giraffe, Malia loves the zebra, but Julia needs to go to China for the panda or Australia to see the kangaroo. Next trip?

Life with Julia

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You can't tell, but Julia has wrapped herself in her pillow case. She is always coming up with the craziest things. She is constantly making us laugh! She is a goofy girl!

a Brother with only Sisters

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Poor boy! Here he is with his sisters sunglasses. He loved wearing them. He even pushed them (to get them off I'm sure) and they went to the top of his head and he left them there. I don't know if you can tell, but they are pink and Hello Kitty. He's cool! The next picture I need to blog is him playing with a Cinderella Barbie in the bath. His favorite toy in the tub. He's rolling everywhere and sits all by himself. He's getting so big. This week he even broke in 4 new teeth within 3 days. Ouch! He's 6 1/2 mo. Big boy!

Dallin's Graduation

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Here are some pictures of Dallin's graduation. He graduated with his Masters from Emory College, Rollins School of Public Health. He's going to be a Dr.. Mr. Smarty! I was glad I got to be there. We love Dallin and are excited to have him be a part of our CRAZY family. He fits right in!

Trip to Georgia

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I took a trip to Georgia to see Michelle and go to her bridal shower! It was such a fun trip. It was just me and Liam. He was perfect. People couldn't believe how good he was on the plane. Even the 2 mid-20's guys I was pinned in between on the way home. Even when I had to nurse Liam. (That was fun. ha ha) We did a lot of fun site seeing, like seeing Margaret Mitchell's home and the CNN building. We met a lot of wonderful people. They really are very friendly in the South. I even got to see Dallin (Michelle's Fiance') graduate with his Masters. Go Dallin! It was a GREAT trip. Only problem, it was not long enough. Another bummer was it was on Mother's day weekend, so I missed seeing the girls sing at church. But it was the most relaxing mother's day I could ask for. Dallin and Michelle barbequed salmon and asparagus and fresh mashed potatoes, made especially by Dallin (secret recipe). It was really fun when we went to Michelle's singles ward for church. I forgot how quiet sacrament meeting could be! Liam was the "oh's" and "awes" of the meeting. Thank you Michelle and Dallin for showing me a GREAT time!