Matulich Family

July in Review

2009-07-30T19:25:00.001-07:00

So July has flown by with much fun and monkey business along with a scare...

Let us begin with the 4th of July... This year we wanted to see a really BIG fireworks show, so I scored us some tickets to a Giants Game through a friend, and along with our favorite uncle Alan, we were off to the ballpark!

It was Kaleb's first night game, and he was like an ol pro at the game. He was the official nut cracker for Uncle Alan and Daddy. Kaleb has great spirit and loved shouting when the Giants scored, much to the chagrin of the people around us. (I currently have daddy working with the lil one to teach him to yell more like a man, and not like a squeak toy.) The game was great and thankfully the Giants won, which now proves to Stefan that I am not the jinx he once claimed I was! HAA!

Fireworks started at about 10, and they were spectacular! It was a great night.

Kaleb shellin nuts
Daddy and Kaleb

It seems like we haven't stopped for one moment this whole month. We had really hoped to go on a big camping trip, but I some things just haven't worked themselves out, so we have been making keeping busy enjoying our Big man! Our summer has consisted of seeing as many blockbusters as we can... So far we have racked up Transformers 2(Kaleb said he like the first one better), Harry Potter, Ice Age and Up. Kaleb loves goin to the theatre, and honestly I do too! It was always one of my favorite things when I was little, and I am so glad that I am able to do the same for my guy. We are anxiously awaiting Where the Wild Things Are, and Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs.

Kaleb has been hounding us to go to 6 Flags for about 2 months now, so a couple weekends ago, Stef said "let's do it!" We got there at about 10:30am and the fun began! We started with the swings as those are one of Kalebs favorite rides, then we hung around the kids area for a bit. We decided to try the baby coaster in the kids area (which Kaleb has always been afraid of.) and within two seconds of being on it, he was negotiating with the man to let him ride for 5 times!! He is now a thrill seeker! After that coaster, he wanted something more... He really wanted to go on the BIG coaster, but thankfully he is still too small, so we made our way to the new Tony Hawk ride which is a coaster that goes fast and spins as it goes around the coaster track. The few glimpses I caught of K, I was sure he was freakin out, and I started second guessing my mothering for allowing him to come on such a ride. However, as we rolled into the station, he looked and me and said, "I was to go again!" We can't wait for him to grow a couple more inches to go on more rides next year!
Kaleb desperately wanted to see all the animals shows he could, so we started with the safe dolphin show early in the day. Then we caught Odin the Tiger, the butterflies, and last but not least, we saw Shouka the Killer Whale... Now, mommy was determined to get wet, so we were one of the firsts in the stadium and got a prime seat 3 rows in... I explained to Kaleb that the whale will come out and get us wet, which he was ok with... Well, they saved soaking us for last, and just when Kaleb had given up that we would get wet, Shouka came and gave us a great wave... Kaleb was angry to say the least for the first 5 seconds as he eyes and mouth were open and he wasn't quite expecting as much "wet" as we got. Stupidly I was wearing a white shirt... It was a great way to end the night, and at 8:30 we left the park with some more great memories!

Swingin
Our ride in Thomas the Train
Odin the Tiger
Post whale splash

Summer wouldn't be complete without a stop at the beach. Thankfully a friend was having his birthday at Bolinas, which gave us the excuse to finally go. Oysters and picnic in hand, the call of the waves was too strong for Kaleb. After a quick bite at our beach site, Kaleb spent the remaining 4 hours chasing the waves and eyeing a man's skimboard like a prize... Swimming lessons are definately a high priority now.

Playin with the dogs
the board...
Goin too far for moms liking
Mom its cold

So now for the thing that had put a scare in all of us here up north. Mid-month, dad came home from a trip to Costco and immediately called Kaiser. Strange since dad hates doctors. It seems that dad has been losing his breath, a lot, and something made him finally call. (thank God.) After some tests, we found that dad needed a valve replaced immediately. So this past Monday, dad went in for open heart surgery and in now part pig. The doctors were amazed at how bad his valve was, and actually had to do the procedure backwards it was so bad. Dad is still in the hospital fighting like a maniac to come home. He was walking the night of the operation, and is determined to get back to his life within a week or two, regardless of what everyone is telling him. When I mentioned that a friends father, that had the same operations last year took up to a year to feel fully better, he just huffed and said, "that's not me. I am not going to let this stop my life." He is a stubborn, stubborn man. Thankfully it is that stubborness that will pull him through his recovery.
I've seen many people in hospitals and have had many friends/relatives have big operations, but nothing has scared me like having this happen to my dad. My dad has always been one person I can talk to about anything, and count on when needed. I sometimes forget he is human too. I can't wait for him to be back in form to yell about stupid liberals, and I am even itchin for a GE story!
The biggest relief has been having my brother David to help get dad to and from the hospital. He is always a rock, and while I wish we were closer, I will always be thankful for having him to depend on when necessary.

So, as it is late, I will end with sending my love to our family out there and some miscellaneous photos.

Kaleb sendin love to Papa Blaine
gnoshin a burger
Our first Golf Outting
Kaleb's first pony ride.

Our lil artist

2009-06-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

So the year has been flying by and Kaleb is doing phenomenally! He is reading most simple words and even starting to figure out a few on his own! He has been making us more and more proud with each passing day!

So with the end of the school year fast approaching, we were informed that of Kaleb's little after school program, some of their artwork had been chosen to hand in the City Hall, and the "artists" who were chosen would be getting a little award from the mayor!

So we started out that our Yaya and Pops would come with us to help celebrate Kalebs award, but soon we were happily joined by Uncle Ken and Jake. First was a trip to Taylors for a special dinner for our boy.

Two silly boys
Two cute boys

Taylors is always a treat, but it was so much nicer to have Cousin Jake and Uncle Ken there to help us along. I could tell how happy and excited he was to show off for his uncle and cousin. Kaleb loves his Uncle Ken and thinks he is silly, and as for his cousin Jake, I believe Kaleb thinks he is just the bestest guy in the world. If he had his way I think he would see him just about every day if he could. It is amazing to see these two together.

Next up was City Hall.. A local framing company framed all the kids artwork that was proudly displayed. Kaleb showed off his finger painting talents for this exhibit:
Kaleb and daddy below his picture.
Cousin Love
With so many people inside City Hall, it was pretty hot, so we ventured outside until the ceremony began. Below is a photo of Yaya and her boys...

Action shot

With all the excitment of having so much attention, once it came time for the awards, Kaleb got a bit of cold feet, and wanted Daddy to bring him up to the Mayor.

Kaleb later told his teacher that he didn't want to talk to the mayor today, and that he would only talk to her on Friday. I think we may have a future politico on our hands... :)

I just want to thank Ken, and Jake for helping to share this day with us. You do not understand how much that meant. Not only Kaleb, but to me. Thank you all so much!

Pebble Beach

2009-04-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend Stefan was presented with the opportunity to attend the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival to represent Bounty Hunter. Naturally I tagged along.

After stowing Kaleb away at Yaya and Papa's Stef and I made our journey to the beauty known as Carmel. To be honest, I have never been to Carmel, and I now know where I would like to retire. It is the most beautiful town I have ever been in!

The beaches are clean with fine white sand and the water is the most brilliant blue I have ever seen. We arrived in town early on Saturday and awaited our contacts to get into the event.

Since the event was held at Pebble Beach Golf Club, Stefan and I were oooohing and aahhhing as we passed some of the most famous holes in golf as we made an oath to one day afford to play there.

Once at the ginormous tent that was the Food and Wine Festival, I was left to my devices while Stefan worked. :)

In the booth next to us was Iron Chef Morimoto! It was amazing to see him work, and while I HATE fish, I had to eat what he had prepared just so that I could brag that I ate something he made. Unfortunately it was fish, and it tasted like fish. Stefan claimed that the fish tasted like butter, which now has me questioning Stefan's taste buds... I am a butter freak, and that was no where near butter... But, at least I ate it!!!

We apologize for the darkness...
Next up, who should wander in front of our booth but Chef Eric Ripert. Since he was standing alone and looking bored, I made Stef take a picture of me with him! Doesn't he look thrilled to take a picture with me???
So I wandered around a bit and was looking forward to seeing Stefan Richter and Jamie from last season's Top Chef. Stefan was Stef and I's favorite, and I SO wanted to meet him......
To make a long story short, I am a complete idiot. While wandering the tent, who comes along but Stefan and Jamie. Suddently Stefan grabs my arm and says "YOU!" to which I said, "YOU!" He then went on to say "I know you!" to which I answered, "No, I watched you on TV!" He then clued me in to the fact that we actually WORKED together at one point in Yountville. Boy am I dumb. I am still only getting flashes in my mind of him from when we worked together, but sure am glad I made a lasting impression! WOO HOO me!

My other Stefan!
The day was looooong and I deserately wanted to meet Tom Colicchio (?) who was there on injured leg and kinda keeping to himself. So I made friends with his assistant, and in no time.... Voila!

Me and Tom!

Two days of walking around in horrid heals I believe I have broken both my feet, but boy was it worth it! Eating some of the best food and drinking some of the best wine in the world.... Who could ask for anything more?

Times a Flyin'

2009-04-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

So things here in the Matulich household seem to be flyin by way too fast lately. So many things seem to be happening it is hard to know where to start.

Kaleb is amazing us everyday, beginning with his love of cooking. He and Daddy like to make homemade pizzas, lemon curd, and all sorts of other goodies. Kaleb is already starting to write his own recipes which are awesome.

What a mess!
Wink!
That's my dough!
School is going great, and Kaleb has told me that he wants to learn how to golf. Stef and I are giving it a lil time to see if he really means it, plus since he is lefty it is harder to find clubs for him. In the meantime, K and I took a day over Spring Break to hang at Scandia, and do a quick 18. Amazingly when he wasn't cheating, he was quite good!
My lil tiger
Just too cute
Kaleb has also developed a love of Spongebob Squarepants. The best part is when he attempts to sing the opening. His silly evil laugh keeps us smiling all night long.

In grown up news... Stefan got a promotion at work and is now the Sales Director! Kaleb and I are so proud of all his hard work!
To celebrate Stefan's promotion, we decided to take a mommy/daddy day and try to get in 18 holes at Rancho Solano before enjoying a great steak with Kaleb's Uncle Alan. Unfortuantely the Marshall decided not to check on the play on the back 9, and before long we were waiting for about 10 minutes at each hole, so we bailed out on the 12th hole and headed home. After a great dinner, the disappointment of golf was forgotten, and a great time was had by all!

Now we are all patiently awaiting Easter... Sunday cannot come fast enough!
Love to all!

This year is flyin!

2009-03-01T17:07:00.000-08:00

So unfortunately I have been unable to "blog" as much as I would like to since Kaleb has become a computer Nazi and will not let anyone else play... I am currently trying to write this while he is perched on my lap as that is the only way I can play on the computer. :)

We have had an extremely busy beginning of the year. Starting with Kaleb losing teeth left and right! He is very non-chalant about it too. While playing with Yaya and Papa one day, he took out a loose tooth and threw it on the ground. When Yaya asked him to show Jake his tooth, he pointed over towards the sofa and said, "I threw it over there." Thankfully mom was able to find the tooth, and the toothfairy completed her mission.
Kaleb being silly after his 3rd tooth came out
Just another cute photo

We were fortunate to get out to the beach in early January (it is still strange to say that) when the weather was too beautiful to pass up. With some friends we headed to a secluded beach Stef and I found during out much maligned camping trip. A quick stop by the Cowgirl Creamery for yummy cheese, bread and meat, and our picnic was complete. Thankfully Kaleb has two friends to play with Megan and Izzy.
Our Family Rock
Trouble always comes in threes

It seems that everywhere around us, we are surrounded by babies. I have 3 friends that recently had a lil one, and then my brother did as well. It has been fun as my friends have been coming to me for advise, and I can't believe how much I remember, and how much works! It feels good to be useful. Below is a photo of my friend Josh's son Declan at a recent get together. This kid is soooo cute, and is the sweetest little boy since Kaleb! ;)

Yes, I did give him celery...

Today was an especially great day for Kaleb, as we met up with Uncle Ken and Jakob for some bowling and good times! A great time was had by all, although I believe I pulled a butt muscle... don't ask.
Kaleb being "cool"
Kaleb throwin one down the lane
Jake's turn!
Buddies

(I do apologize for the red-eyes as I have not had time to edit the photos due to his highness.)

It has been a strange year as it seems that my family history is repeating itself, which leads me to be sad sometimes when I think too much about it. Thankfully I have two wonderful men to focus on and a great support system of friends to step in when necessary. Family is very important to Stefan and myself and we are greatful for all that we have. I wish everyone could be as happy as we are to have such a great family.
Thank you to all for being there for us, and we hope you all know we are here for you should you need us too.

Holidays and Lazy Days

2009-01-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

So it has been a quick December followed by what seems to be an even quicker January! Kaleb has discovered that vacations from school rock, and believes that as long as there is no school, then he may stay up until 11 or 12!

To catch up, Christmas was wonderful this year! Kaleb was so supremely excited, which just made it all the more awesome. With plenty of Polar Express watched, he was ready to see if Santa would come to his house.
Christmas Eve was our traditional night at Yaya and Papa's house. The boys were in true form, and who knew that the gift of the night would come from Dave and Erin's dog Grifter. It seems that he saved his bones and bought the two Nerf guns. Thanks Grifter!

Of course this was also Kaya's first Christmas, and boy is she the cutest little girl in the whole world! Here is a sweet photo of ladybug and mama, right after I attempted to hold her where she pooped and started crying. Great job auntie Beth!

Next up Christmas morning...
I believe I was the first to wake up. Kaleb exhausted from a long night of Nerf guns at Yaya's, was a bit grouchy at first. Until he noticed the cookies. Where had his gingerbread men gone?? With a little prodding, he noticed that his stocking had stuff in it, and dove in. Joy of all Joys, Santa had brought him him Wall-E and Eve electic toothbrush! Just the thing he would need after eating all the candy that also seemed to be in his "sock."
Next up were presents things started off a bit slow. Sleepiness was still waying heavy on the little one. The gift that brought the Christmas into our little one, what could it be....

Wall-E jammas! Which kicked off his impersonation of the Polar Express Christmas ghost going "ho ho ho!"
Since Mama got a new camera for Christmas, soon after gifts were open, Kaleb was in the mood for pictures.. Here are a couple of my favorites..
Kaleb and his Christmas tree
My boys!
We had a wonderful Christmas Dinner where Kenny, Mom and Dad came over for Prime Rib, and good times! We don't often have company at our house, other than Uncle Alan, so it is always a happy day when people come for a visit. Kaleb especially loves having people over his house, especially his Uncle Kenny who he watched Wall-E with and then they drew some funny pictures together. Kaleb was in absolute heaven.

Next up, New Years...
We were on our way to a simple stay-at-home-be-in-bed-by-10 night, where I decided to call David and Erin, and invite a get together for the night. After all Stef has been dying to play Rock Star, and since Dave has the systems, it was perfect! Soon a plan was hatched and we were soon embarking on Yaya and Papa's once again for some pizza and video games. While I had been hoping to try out the wii as I desperately want one, Dave brought Rock Band for XBox 360, and soon the two were rocking in Dave's band "Fartdog."
Here the twins are rockin it
Kenny and I took turns providing vocals on the songs, and a great night was had by all. Kaya found out that Auntie Beth's dancing makes her laugh, and we all found out that the music world was saved by Kenny never venturing far from the clarinet! :)
Midnight came fast, and Kaleb got to bank pots and pan in the yard and yell, which he thought was cool, and then we were headed back home... A new year has come.

DISNEYLAND!!!!

2008-11-30T19:14:00.000-08:00

So we finally did it! We went to Disneyland!! I hadn't been there since 1995, and Stefan's last trip was when he was 8, so it had been awhile for us. Kaleb was super stoked to get there and was hoping to see his favorite character (for the moment) Wall-E. The kid is hooked on everything Wall-e and Eve.

We got to Disneyland on Friday around 11am and began our tour-de-force of all things Disney. Our first official Disney "ride" was the Tarzan treehouse. I think Kaleb could've played all day in that thing, but mom and dad wanted to keep moving, so here are a couple of pics from the tree...

Next up came the Haunted Mansion which was all done up for the Nightmare before Christmas. Very Cool.
From there we ran to the Pirates of the Caribbean. Always a favorite, we were lucky, or not so lucky, to be put in the front row. Kaleb was diggin the Pirates when we hit the first drop. Not bad, a little splashy, but I didn't think much of it. However when we went down the second drop, I knew I had a problem... My left butt cheek was COMPLETELY saturated, ALL the way through. I am pretty sure I have a mild form of hyperthermia on that cheek now as I cannot seem to get it completely warm, but all in all it was worth it!
Next up, the Jungle Cruise... Actually got a pic of me and Kaleb!

After the cruise we honored my brother and munched on some Chieftan Chicken stix and Tiger Tails. Yum.
After our snack we ran for the Big Thunder Train. Now to be honest, Kaleb does not like his rides to be fast and unpredictable. Although I have so far been able to get him to do just about anything if there isn't a line, and I tell him it only goes "medium." I will have to admit, I believe he was a little ticked off at me by the end of the train ride. It definately wasn't Train Town, and while he didn't cry or scream, he told me very sternly, "Mom, that train was NOT medium." Kaleb said no more rides after that one, so we headed to ToonTown to help him forget...

For any parent who has not been to Toon Town, let me warn you. The wait to see Mickey Mouse was the LONGEST wait we had all day... Over an hour! Once you got in his house, you were pretty much stuck, and committed to seeing the damn mouse in his house. You are led to a photo opp...

We finished our first day with a quick Matterhorn ride... it's Medium right? Then left the park and went out for dinner at McCormick and Schmicks (we had a gift certificate courtesy of Danika) and enjoyed a big steak!
Day two...
We started the day with Disneyland. We were determined to go to Tomorrowland to do Buzz's Astroblasters, Space Mountain, Autotopia, and Star Tours... Kaleb loved Star Tours, and couldn't stop laughing long enough to shoot much on Buzz's ride. It was after Buzz's ride that Kalebs entire trip was made... There finally in the store was a Wall-e display! Kaleb squealed and grabed an EVE stuffed toy and a little Wall-e (which he said was for me... he is so nice.) Eve has become an extension of Kaleb, and pretty much goes where he does. Now on to Space Mountain.
Now Kaleb as I have mentioned does not like to go too fast, and when he does, he generally likes to see where he was going, so I was a little worried with this ride. So, to make things easy for us, I told him that it was Wall-E's ride in space when he is chasing Eve and we will see the stars. This seemed to make him very happy and not at all worried with what was about to happen. We got a Fastpass for this ride, so we wouldn't have to wait in the long line. Unfortunately just as we got close, we were told that the ride would be closed down and we could wait or leave as they didn't know for how long. Thankfully about 8 minutes later the ride reopened and we were soon loaded in our spaceship...
Let's just say that at the end of the ride, Kaleb said, "Mom, that ride was REALLY fast, and I don't want to do that one again."
California Adventure:
We went to California Adventure on our second day. We started at Brother's Bears Tree house/thingy where again, Kaleb could've stayed all day. The rope swing being his favorite, I had to pull him off so others could have a turn.

Kaleb and I then ran around on the nets until we were both sweating a stinky. (But is was well worth it!). After a Churro and a soda, we attempted the Bug's Life show, which was cool, but kinda scared Kaleb who really didn't appreciate being spit on. Next up was Soarin over California which we all really dug. Then a little Monsters, Inc.
Suddenly, there it was in a small corner at the very edge of the park, a Wall-E. Kaleb's day was complete.

We were all pretty tired by now, and we headed over the the Pier section of California Adventure. Kaleb argued with a worker to try to let him on the ride that shoots you up, but alas he was too small for that one. I was pretty impressed that he even offered the guy that I would go on with him, but it was still a no. That pretty much put him in a mood, so we watched the Pixar Parade, then went and had a chowder bowl. We really wanted to see some of the nighttime parades at Disneyland, so we ran back over there, but after about 5 minutes, Kaleb was zonked on Stefans head and we decided to make for our hotel. At least we could see the fireworks from our room!
Of course once we got back to our room, the lil bugger was awake, so we decided to go for a soak in the spa and rest our muscles. We sat in the spa, ate some grubbin Tacquitos, and drank some root beer enjoying the night sky. Once back in the room, dry, and in our jammies, the fireworks started, so Kaleb grabbed his light sword, and we cheered the awesome firework display. Which I now believe is how every day should end!
We woke at 3:30 in the morning, and were on the road by 4 in hopes of beating holiday traffic (we did). All in all, it was a great trip, and we are all looking forward to going back soon!

This one's for your Erin!

2008-11-19T08:14:00.001-08:00

Life has been pretty laid back for the last couple of weeks which has been a welcome change to the Matulich household.

Other than our beautiful new addition to our family, of Baby Kaya Paige Prosser to my brother and his wife, we have done our best to be as lazy as we can be on the weekends. Lounge around, play games, watch movies... its been great! (Although all I want to do is hang around my brother and his wife and their beautiful baby girl, I am trying to restrain myself so as I somewhat remember what it was like when K was that young. However I don't know how long I can last...)

Stefan and Kaleb playin Leapster
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, Kaleb was coming up on having 3 days off, so Stef and I took the days off to have some quality time. We were thinking of what to do for Thanksgiving, when it hit us... Let's go to Disneyland!!!
For our birthdays, Mom #2 gave us 2 day hopper passes that we needed to use by January 5th, so we invited ourselves to Fresno for Thanksgiving (Thanks Patrice!), and will head down to Anaheim the next day! Stefan got us a room at the Anabella Hotel, close to Disneyland, and we are all set!

Of course the nice weather we have been experiencing is all about to change just about the time we are there (Showers are expected), we are powering through. Nothing some umbrellas, and warm clothes can't handle! I am soooo excited!!!

So to sum up, were lazy, have a beautiful new niece/cousin, and will be going to Disneyland next weekend.

I hope this post will suffice for now Erin! I'll write more when we get back from Disneyland, and I promise to bring my camera, load it with working batteries, and actually take pictures... Although it would be better if David could just follow us around cause he takes better pictures than I do, but hopefully soon we can all take a Disneyland trip!!!

Our Big Boy

2008-10-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

So in a flash our little baby is now a big boy. This past Monday, Kaleb turned 5. I am still in shock over how fast the last 5 years have gone by. It seems like we are travelling at light speed right now with the progress Kaleb is making. He is flourishing at school, talking like a champ, and just having a great time being a boy.

One really cool thing about school is Kaleb is learning the Pledge of Allegiance. He is so proud of the America Flag(as he calls it) and every time he sees one, he tells me and daddy to place our hand on our heart and say the Pledge of Allegiance. He does not have it all down yet, but it is so good to hear his little voice trying to get it right, along with how proud he is to see the flag.

Kaleb and his America Flag
With Halloween fast approaching, we had made various trips to Target and various Halloween shops looking for an outfit. Everything we saw Kaleb just said "no." A tip from my sister led me to Pottery Barn Kids. With Kaleb sitting besides me, I pulled up the website and in an instant Kaleb saw his costume...Hot Dog. Yes, our son is going to be a weiner with all the trimmings this year. With the help of Uncle David and Aunt Erin, Kaleb now has a Fancy Ketchup Candy Bag. I can't wait for Halloween!!

Kaleb in full weiner mode
On another note, earlier this evening the tooth fairy has come for a visit to the Matulich Household! Kaleb lost his first tooth! After the last few weeks of wondering and worrying,as he new tooth has already been coming in and is crooked, (I have been informed that now that it has room to move in, it should start to straighten out), this afternoon at his After School Adventures his tooth finally let go of his gums.
The leader of the group told me Kaleb was getting ready to go down the slide, stopped, turned to another leader, handed him his tooth and simply stated "Hold this." From what they said he was so non-chalant about it, which I am not surprised since he has been telling me for weeks that we don't need to pull at it as "it will fall out automatically."

Kaleb's New Smile
Kaleb's Birthday has brought him a new Leapster hand held video game from Mommy and Daddy, which Kaleb is LOVING! So far he only has a Wall-E game, and some games that are built into the system, but he loves showing us his games, and playing them with us. He is so eager to understand and catches on so quickly it is amazing to witness.

Until the next post here is Kaleb sitting on the striped pig at the local pumpkin patch.

Catching Up

2008-09-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

So the last three weekends have been pretty busy in the Matulich household... Labor Day weekend found us at the Travis Air Show with Kenny, Jake and Papa. We saw some cool planes, and Kaleb loved the Thunderbirds. It was an extremely looooong day followed by a 2 hour exit off of the air base... Let me just say that the parking lot ride sucked big time...

Kaleb and Jakob by a lil jet.
Kaleb resting in a wheel well.

Labor Day found us with our friends the Waughs at my work Domaine Carneros enjoying some bubbles. Our new assistant winemaker gave Kaleb a bunch of Chardonnay grapes, which Kaleb held as though they were gold the entire day.

Kaleb and his grapes by one of our fountains

Last weekend was Stefan's birthday and he turned the big 3-0! He had a big dinner to go to for his work on his actual birthday so he enjoyed a gastronomic feast that my weak stomach would never have survived had I been allowed to tag along, but he was happy and got his birthday wish. Kaleb and I had a party waiting for him when he got home, complete with balloons, presents, and a cone hat that Kaleb insisted Daddy wear. It was great.

This last weekend, was my birthday, and we spent the day at 6 Flags Marine World thanks to my friend Nisa who works there and floated us free tickets. The day flew by so quickly, but was such a blast! Kaleb was a maniac who was just about everywhere that day! He totally LOVED the dolphins, and was laughing like a madman the entire time. We also fed the giraffes, went through the shark experience about 5times, rode the swings 3 times, the boat 2 times, went through the Thomas traintown, rode the hopping frogs, attempted the little rollercoaster once (once was enough for Kaleb, as he said it goes too fast.), wemt up in the spinning balloons, and played at the playground/treehouse/slide thingy there for close to an hour. Along the way we won a Shark, Barney Rubble, a little lion, and Kaleb got an airbrushed dolphin tattoo. We finally had to drag Kaleb away, as mommy and daddy were tired. Even though he said he wanted to stay and daddy and I could go home, and he would stay there, we got him to the car with no trouble, and we was gone to the world within 5 minutes on our short trip home. It was most probably my best birthday to date.

I am still working on taking more pictures, as I hate bringing my camera everywhere, as is seems that when I do, the batteries die after 1 picture. (As is the case with Marine World). We did buy some batterie by the end of the day, but pretty much all the photo opts were gone for us, and the camera stayed in Stef's pocket...

First Day of School

2008-08-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

So today was an extremely big day here at the Matulich household. Our little boy started Kindergarten! Of course he has been anxiously awaiting this day for about 2 and a half months now, and is so excited to be going to the big boy school.
Kaleb is enrolled in what is called a Transitional Kindergarten. It follows all the same curriculum of a normal class, however there are only 10-12 students to 3 teachers! This will help with his speech, and to mainstream him into a standard classroom.

Kaleb getting ready to go
Getting all his new school supplies has been a highlight, and Kaleb even picked out a cool green (of course!) backpack that if you look closely you can see a little frog which he loves! For graduating Pre-School, Yaya and Papa gave Kaleb $10 to do with as he pleases, which he hasn't decided yet what to get. Thankfully fans cost a lot more than $10!

Daddy walking Kaleb to School

Kaleb and his Teacher Erin
I am so excited to have Kaleb finally be challenged! (I think he is too!) He loves his new teacher, and when I told him that she used to play basketball, he thought that was the coolest thing ever.
The first day ended great, and Teacher Erin said that while he was a little restless in circle time, all things considered, he was actually pretty good. There was also an incident where he fell in the bathroom and hit his cheek, but he was a trooper, and it didn't seem to phase him too bad.
When I picked him up at noon, and asked if he liked his new school, his reply was simple... "yeah, it's cool."
This kid is so beyond his years!

Good Bye My Good Boy Cash

2008-08-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

It is with an extremely heavy heart that I am writing this post. It has not been a great year for us Matulich's, with the losses adding up to too many with the latest being our boy Cash Dawg.

Cash was a dog that could drive me absolutely crazy. He was too jumpy, too nippy, couldn't sit still for a minute and yet the biggest cuddle bug you could wish for, and the most loyal of pups. He was my friend and my baby.

It was a routine weekend. We were playing in the front yard. Testing our new Furminator brush on Cash. He was happy. Stef decided he and Cash were going to have a hike in the Rockville Hills. We figured Cash was probably tired of our walking route around our house, and the two took a trip to the hills. I being a lazy dolt, wanted to stay home and get some chores done.

Within 40 minutes Stef was callin me for help. Cash has gone down,could not breathe proper, and was paralyzed. Fearing heat stroke, as water is limited in those hills, I drove like a maniac to Rockville with a jug of water and a bowl. Watching Stef run down the mountain with Cash on his shoulders, my heart sank. We tried everything to get water into his system to no avail. We quickly contacted the Emergency Vet Clinic in Cordelia to let them know we were on our way.

Once at the vet, they administered an IV and oxygen, but the conclusion was it was too late. His fever was about 109, and nothing could be done. The vet tried to reassure us stating that she believed he may have an underlining disease, which may not have been detectable until now, and that it would be best to put our boy out of the pain he was in.

Looking back, as these instaces force us to, we start seeing things that may have been signs. During our normals walks, Cash would start out with a jolt, but by the end of our trip, we would have take frequent rests and need lots of water. Of course at the time we thought he was just out of shape, and needing the exercise. If I had only known this could be a sign of something more...If only everything.

Kaleb is still a little confused as to why his dog has to stay with the doctors, and I am grateful that he is not fully understanding of what took place, other than his dog has to sleep for a long time and cannot come home.

While I am not too fond of cliche's I will say to everyone, be thankful for what you have as you never know when you may lose it. Whether you are talking about a beloved pet, brother, mother or sister. Life happens in an instant.

I love you Cash dog. You will be missed.

Crystal Springs Golf Excursion

2008-08-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

Last week, my brother David invited Stef and I to join him and Erin (with baby Molligan) at Crystal Springs Golf Course in San Mateo. Since we have not golfed since our Silverado excusion for my work, we jumped at the chance. Our tee time was early in the morning (9:50ish) and being a little over an hour away, Stefan and I had to be sure to be up extra early to make it to Davids house for the journey.

Seeing as how we would need to be up so early in the morning, a quick phone call to Yaya and Papa, and Kaleb was going to have a sleep over with his two favorite people on Saturday night. Which gave Stefan and I the added bonus of a date night where we actually got to see a movie, in a theater at night!! The movie of choice was "The Dark Knight" which was great except for Batman's lisp.

I was determined to have a decent game, and kept telling myself that it is ok to hit the grass, which is my biggest problem in golf. The day started off great, and while my drives are not exceptionally long, I made up for it on and around the green. I only topped the ball twice (a personal record), and all in all shot a fairly decent game. Stefan kept to the trees (his favorite place) and we decided that we should make a course where the fairways run on either side of the rough, so that he would have a chance at playing on them.

The ninth hole led us to a photo opp like none other. This gazebo is used in many a wedding, and when we happened upon it, it was fresh with rose petals from a wedding the day before. The views were spectacular, and the company amazing!

Needing a bit of rest, and another photo opportunity, the 10th hole offered a bench overlooking the gorgeous Crystal Springs resevoir. As you can see, the fog sat on the hilltops allowing for a wonderful day and great pictures!

Known for its abundant wildlife of deer, kestrels, hawks, and bobcats, we only encountered deer which seemed to follow us from hole to hole. Warning signs of Raptors (mainly hawks) were posted which made us laugh and deem this the sanctuary for the extras from Jurassic Park. However their screeches are quite frightening, and somewhat irritating.

After golf it was a quick trip to Serramonte to the E-Bar for some chicken strips, and a mondo slice of Mud Pie that we all shared. Then off to sit in traffic.

It was a wonderful day, and a great way to end the weekend! Thank you David and Erin for such a great time!

Weekend Update

2008-07-13T20:01:00.001-07:00

This is the first weekend in about 3 weeks that we got to take it kinda easy. Saturday we did our run to Larry's Produce and then came home and took care of our neglected home. (Chores, woo hoo).

To make up the lackluster Saturday, we began Sunday with a trip to our favorite breakfast joint in Suisun... Bab's Delta Diner. There K and I grubbed on some hotcakes, and Stefan and I has some of the best biscuits n' gravy in the world. After breakfast we said a quick hello to the ducks in the Marina, and then headed home to purchase our tickets for the 11:15 showing of Wall-E.

Wall-E was cute, and the animation was amazing, however limited dialog made it a little difficult to sit through, although Kaleb managed with minimal movement. I still can't believe how lifelike Pixar can make things. There were times, we swore we were looking at an actual place! At the end of the film though, I asked Kaleb if he liked Kung Fu Panda or Wall-E better, and he said he liked Kung Fu Panda better. So give one to the Panda.

One of Kaleb's favorite people came over for dinner tonight... Uncle Alan. Kaleb always looks forward to seeing his Uncle Alan. Tonight Uncle Alan brought over a bottle of wine for Stef to try, however our lil sommelier had to have the first whiff.

My Little Wine Snob

After a little reflection, and careful swirling, Kaleb determined that the wine smelled of Strawberries, and then tried to force Stef to drink the wine. When asked if he wants a taste, he will state matter-of-factly, "I have to be bigger like daddy." (That's my good boy!)

All in all it was a quiet weekend spent decompressing and hanging with my two most favoritest people in the world.

Family and the Fourth

2008-07-06T22:46:00.001-07:00

The Fourth of July found us headed down to Fresno for some real celebrating. Since fireworks are still legal there, we wanted Kaleb to experience a true 4th complete with fireworks, family and just plain ol' fun!

Kaleb was most excited to see his Mema Trice and Papa Blaine. Their house is always an adventure complete with neighboring farm animals, fun quads to ride, and plenty of fans to keep a little boy happy.

Kaleb and Stefan getting ready to ride

The family was set to gather at Mema Trice and Papa Blaines, for hot dogs, ice cream and fireworks. It is always a treat for Stef and myself to spend time with our family. Kaleb was happy to have his cousin Braden to run around with. The two were going crazy just about all day.

Kaleb and Braden at a slow moment

Stefan enjoyed catching up with his Mema and Pepa and Uncle Mike. He is always happy when he is able to spend time with his family. We only wished we lived closer so that the trip was a little easier.

At nightfall, our firework show began... Everyone brought some sort of giant firework, and we put on our own display. The fireworks were like a natural drug for Kaleb because he couldn't stop running around and laughing like a lunatic the entire time! (Uncle Mike has some video footage of our display and I will try to obtain it as soon as possible!) After our display was done a local display was right in sight for a professional finale. It was a wonderful day!

Saturday Stef, Mema Trice, Papa Blaine, Kaleb and I decided to head up to the Sequoia National Park for check out some truly giant trees. Except for car sickness, the trip was awesome! Those trees are truly amazing! Kaleb loved that he could climb and crawl in them, and even saw his first wild chipmunk!

Kaleb sitting in a root system

Kaleb and Papa Blaine in a tree

Our Family Tree

Thank you all so much for making our Fourth of July something special! We love you!

Cousin Time

2008-06-14T17:31:00.001-07:00

Today, Cari and I took the boys to Fuller Park for a little playtime. After a quick swing on the playground, it seemed like our park trip was hopeless as neither of the boys seemed like they wanted to be there. So, we decided it was time to head back to the house. On our walk out of the park we spotted it... a perfect climbin tree!

Kaleb took off like a shot and started trying to get into the tree. Jake, an expert climber helped to show him the way, and soon they were in! Kaleb had a scare of getting his leg stuck in between two branches, which broke his confidence a little. Jake had a scare of getting too high into the tree. Both were having a great time scares and all!

The two before their scares

It is always great to see these two playing together. Kaleb loves his cousin very much and can't seem to stop laughing when they are together.

Jake having a great time

An easier tree, but still a lot of fun!

Soon we were walking back to Cari and Jake's, all tree'd out. From there is was Zucchini Bread, clay and littl Loll Kitty which Cari and Jake are fostering until they find her a home. Kaleb had a great time, and got to hold his first baby kitten! Any day he spends with his cousin in a good day in Kaleb's book. He is glad he has such a great cousin to look out for him, and to play with.

One Happy Little boy

Saturdays

2008-06-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

Saturdays for us are pretty low key... Kaleb is happy to not have to be in school, and Stef and I are happy to not have to worry about our work. Most weekends we laze around the house and just chill...

The mornings are usually started with a cup of coffee on the deck complete with lap dog.

Cash is one of the largest lapdogs in North America!

Kaleb (who is a big movie buff) lately has been alternating between Underdog and The Santa Clause 3. He also likes to mix in a little Madagascar and some Meet the Robinsons. If given a chance he will recite short dialog or some of his favorite lines from his movies. If he had his way, he would not get out of his redpants and would watch movies the whole weekend.

This is Kalebs new "Silly Face." He invented it this Friday and has loved showing it to everyone! If you notice that it is slightly blurry, please note that he weaves his head like Stevie Wonder when making said face. I love this kid more than anything I could've ever imagined. Everyday he amazes me more and more.

On a side note... After many tests, extra classes, meeting with psychologists, our son is NORMAL! Any thought about K being on the spectrum for Autism has been dashed. Stef and I have worried and wondered ourselves as we heard teachers and even family members mention his differences as autism. Every teacher and therapist who has come in contact with Kaleb has come to the same conclusion that he is one of the most loveable and outstanding children for his age. His language delay, while frustrating, is coming along with a little help, and he more than makes up for his language difficulties with an understanding of letters, and shapes like few others his age.

Our Kitties are another big part of our weekend. They are so happy to have us home that they become our shadows. Boo especially seems to be everywhere we are on the weekends. Sometimes we wonder if there are more than one of him.

Stefans Boo Shaped Dinner Shadow

Kitty being the needy recluse, will hide most of the day, but when she decides that she needs loving.... You had better be ready! She really is one of the most loveable cats, but her inability to sit still can become irritating. Sometimes we wonder if she has ADD.

Mrs. Kitty Kitty

One last picture of my favorite boy as I end this post. It was his first silly face that he made up at a recent birthday party. I love our weekends, even if we don't get out and do a lot most of the time. Just being together, lazing around, watching movies, and lovin our pets, who could ask for a better weekend?

The Coolest kid in the world!

The Almost Camping Trip

2008-05-26T19:02:00.001-07:00

So Stef has been dying to go camping for about 4 years now, and after puting it off for as long as I could, we set a date... Memorial Day Weekend. This would be our first actual family vacation.

Of course we had a trial run in the backyard in which I failed after a mere 3 hours and ended up in my nice comfy bed while the boys snoozed in the wind tunnel known as our backyard. (A prediction of things to come???)

Stef made all the plans. We would stay at a campsite in Olema, so that we could take day trips to the various spots we love around Bodega Bay. The Trout Farm, Tide Pools, Hog Island Oyster Co., Cowgirl Creamery. Everything was planned and our much anticipated weekend finally arrived.

We stuffed our little Caliber with everything we thought we would need to our big 4 day, 3 night trip. According to all weather reports we would be in for a beautiful weekend. Life was great.

We arrived at the campsite, and found it to be less than spectacular. Our original site was amid tall grass, rotted picnic table, and no trees to speak of, so we went back to the office to complain. Being that it was Memorial Day weekend, things were tight, but Stef finally managed to get a somewhat better spot. This site actually had a tree!

Camp was set up in no time flat, so exploring we went! After a tip from Stef's friend Brad a work we found a beautiful secluded beach in Tomales. The water was the most fantastic blue, and even a bit warm! Swimming is welcome in this part, and as we found out, so is nude sun bathing! Of course, as usual, we weren't prepared for such a find, so we explored a little around the cove, and decided we needed to come back later.

We started back to the campsite only after a stop at the local grocery store where I inadvertently stole some mint. To my defense I was holding it in line, and the checker never said anything to me. It wasn't until I reached the car that I realized what I had done. We chalked it up to a great part of our camping story, jumped into the car and headed to the butcher where Stef threw down $28 for a huge hunk of steak what would turn into a great dinner.

After dinner, Kaleb and I walked down to the playground at the campsite, where he met a little girl named Mackenzie and played like a madman. Once it started to get dark, we went back to the campsite, roasted some marshmallows, and then turned our car into a little theatre, and watched his new movie "Meet the Robinsons." Then it was bedtime...

All was well in the land of camping. Although Kaleb was a little stuffed up, he was so happy to be sleeping in his tent, and he fell asleep with no effort at all. Stef soon came into the tent, and within minutes he was out like a light. That left only me.. I was tired, had a long day, but could I sleep? Of course not. I tossed and turned for a couple of hours. Listen to all the people around us, and right as I was about to fall asleep, then man in the campsite next to us began to snore. This was no ordinary snore. It was loud, obnoxious, and it would vary in tone and pitch. At times it would start to subside, and I would start to drift off...then he would turn and the volume would increase ten fold and awake I would be. While wishing a slow death the the man next to us, I began to hear rustling around the campsite. Raccoons. Stef woke up to pee, and scared them off when he opened the tent. It was only when he came back to the tent did he realize the hell he had escaped by being able to fall asleep so quickly. After 5 or so minutes we were debating on who should throw the pinecones at the mans tent, when he put his Ipod on and again left me to fend for myself. It was while I was cursing the man next to us, than I heard some odd drops on our tent... Weird, that is the loudest "mist" that I have ever heard. It was about 5:30 in the morning, and I finally fell asleep. ahhhhhh

By 6:30 Stef decided I had slept enough and woke me up. For those who know me, I am not a morning person, and am even worse when I have been uncomfortable all night and only slept for 1 hour.

Stef was standing in the "mist" saying that "this should burn off by noon or so, and then it will be nice." Which is great since I did not bring one thing for "misty" weather. After a pancake breakfast, and a few cups of coffee, we set out for the tide pools. Along the long twisty road, the mist turned into a downpour. Things were not looking so great.

We arrived at the tide pools, and the mist/rain has subsided. We started out along the beach. It was about a 1 and a half to 2 mile walk to the "tide pools."

When we finally reached the tide pools, Kaleb took a little coaxing, but finally touched a starfish, although he loved climbling all over the rocks, and running through the tunnel in the cliff. Next up would be the Trout Farm for some fishin..After a short trip to the trout farm, we had rented out poles, purchased some nighcrawlers, and found a spot at the pond. Kaleb, decided he would be the net boy, so Stef and I began with the fishin. Stef was the first to catch what one must assume was a fish, although it must not had been on the earth too long as it was tiny. We called it his sardine. Next up was me. I do not like killing animals for sport, nor do I like eating fish, but soon I was reeling in a big one. When I got my fish out of the water, I yelled for my net boy who proceeded to run over to me and attempt to beat the fish the death. I caught two more much the same way after that, and soon we were off.

After the Trout Farm, the weather did not hold for us and soon it was raining. Being not prepared for weather other than sunny goodness, we packed our camp and headed home heavy hearted. Our first vacation was foiled on account of bad weather and bad planning. While we ended up with some great memories, and a story that we will be telling for years to come, we still are without our family vacation that we so dearly desired. We only hope that our next trip goes a little better.... after all what could go wrong at Disneyland?

The silly Smile

I love you This much!

My 2 loves

When it rains, it Pours...

2008-04-10T07:35:00.001-07:00

Well I woke up Monday morning to a car that would not start and I had to have it towed to the shop for repairs. Something like a fuel cell module (I never heard of such a thing) was out and needed to be replaced. I spent half the day at the shop and once it was fixed (and $400 later) I got in the car only to notice it was running a little sluggish. I flipped around back to the shop and the mechanic said the turbo charger was not engaging. However since this is part of the exhaust system he would need to look at the car when the engine was cool. I returned the car to the shop on Wednesday and much to my dismay the turbo seized and needs to be replaced, for a mere $1600.
Well we got over 100K out of the car with little service issues but when you own an import i guess you better be prepares to pay when stuff breaks down. The only good part is they do not have the turbo in stock, so I get a loaner car for a few days (free of charge). A 2008 Volvo v90 SUV. At least I can know what it feels like to drive a $60,000 car for a few days.

Get to the blogging already...

2008-04-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

After much hem and haw, I decided to join my fellow millenniums and create this here BLOG. With the busy world of work and child, I found it most difficult to keep in touch with family, friends and colleges. Hopefully, this will allow me to chronicle our day to day adventures and keep you all posted on all that is happening in our lives.
This week was rather boring with not a whole lot to report except for the first fruits of our garden. My favorite French Breakfast radishes were picked early Saturday morning and complimented some prosciutto wrapped asparagus, picholine olives and homemade aioli. This was a platter that accompanied Beth and I to a little shin dig at a friend’s house on Saturday night. Kaleb got to spend the night with Ya-Ya and Papa, which he thoroughly enjoyed – and we got a little well needed R&R.
Like I said, not much to report so in closing, here is a recent picture of Kaleb to brighten your day!
Cheers!