Joshua Daniel is Here!!

Mijo!!!

Ice Skating

Jaime, Annie, Uncle Brian and Megan all went ice skating at the Jones Center in Springdale. Jen wasn't allowed to skate so she just took pictures. We all had a lot of fun!

Megan's 3rd Birthday Party!

Daddy had to test out the Slip n' Slide before any of the kids could go on it.

Megan and her friend Alexis had fun playing in the swimming pool. It was so hot outside, the cool water felt great!















Megan waited so patiently to blow out her candles while everyone sang happy birthday.














She got all three candles in one blow!!!

Megan loved all the gifts she received. Here she is playing with some of her new dress up clothes.

My Daddy and Me

Sometimes daddy lets me help him mow the grass. I love riding with him!

Daddy let me help him paint baby brother's room. Painting is so much fun!!!

Here daddy and I are playing a game I call "Going to the moon". It makes me laugh and laugh!

And it's a.....

BOY!!!!

We're so excited. Megan has insisted it's a girl so now she'll have to get used to the idea of having a baby brother instead of a baby sister. We're sure she'll love this baby no matter what!

Here's another cute picture. A few weeks ago my sisters, Megan, and I went shopping. While we were at a maternity store Megan wanted to try on "the belly".

Pretty Dress

Great grandma bought Megan this dress and since it is red, white, and blue, daddy wanted her to wear it to church on Sunday.

What a ham!

Megan and Cooper

Megan was out playing in her pool when our neighbor dog, Cooper, ran over and jumped right in with her. The two of them had a lot of fun together. It was a hot day so the cool water must have felt reallly good to Cooper.

Steve and Lisa's Wedding

Steve and Lisa were married on June 25th at Sapphire Point near Breckenridge, CO. It was a beautiful location for a wedding. Here Megan and I are walking together. Megan was the flowergirl and I was the matron-of-honor.

Jaime was asked to read a passage of scripture during the ceremony. He chose to read portions of Psalm 104.

Here is a picture of Steve and Lisa after the ceremony. Saphire Point overlooks Lake Dillon.

Megan, at the reception, having her first strawberry daiquiri. It was non-alcoholic, of course. (She was sharing it with mommy.)

Breckenridge, Colorado

For Steve and Lisa's wedding we all went out to Breckenridge, CO. Here is a picture of the beautiful Rocky Mountains.


The three brother-in-laws went hiking together one morning. From left to right is Brian Van Auken (Andrea's husband), Jaime Castaneda (Jennifer's husband), and Steve Gatto (Lisa's husband).


One of the activities that Lisa and Steve organized for everyone who went out to Colorado for their wedding was a group bike ride. It was about 20 miles long, but mostly down hill, so it wasn't hard at all. The senery was beautiful!


The night before the wedding all the ladies got together for a little bachellorette party for Lisa.

Out at the Lake!

Al salir del trabajo, un amigo nos llevo a Beaver Lake a esquiar. Megan estaba bien emocianada por su primer viaje en barco.
After work today, a friend from work took us out to Beaver Lake to ski and tube. Megan was excited about her first boat trip.

Megan solo queria estar en el agua y queria esquiar con papi. Al comienzo no le gustaba el viento cuando el barco iba bien rapido pero pronto se acostumbro y le gritaba al conductor que fuera mas rapido.

Megan only wanted to be in the water and she wanted to ski with daddy. At first she didn't like the wind when we went fast but she soon got used to it and was yelling at the driver to go faster.

Megan y papi preparados para rebotar en "Big Bertha". Megan no estaba muy segura si le gustaba.

Megan and daddy ready to ride the wake on "Big Bertha". Megan wasn't too sure she would like this.

A Megan no le gusto ir rapido porque le chispiaba mucho la cara pero estaba contenta cuando ibamos despacio. Cuando papi se subio solito y lo halaron bien rapido, Megan se preocupo mucho y lloraba por papi.

Megan didn't like going fast because her face got splashed too much but she enjoyed just coasting along. When daddy got on by himself and was pulled really fast, Megan got really worried and started to cry for papi.

Catching Up On Events

For Mother's Day we went to a park. We spent the day with my sister Andrea, her husband Brian, and some other friends.

Megan recently went with me to my doctors appointment, where she heard the baby's heart beat. Now she likes to play doctor and check mommy's baby all the time.

Our friends David, Sara, and their new baby, Ryan, came up to Arkansas to visit. Megan loved "baby Ryan" and couldn't wait to hold him. He didn't like it quite as much!

This past weekend we met up with some friends to watch hot air balloons fly into the Bentonville airport. This is Megan and her friend Alexis (Lexi) watching the balloons.



About 28 balloons flew into the airport. The girls really love it. It was a beautiful day!

A Painted House...Pintando la Casa

Este fin de semana mi host family vino a la casa para ayudarnos a arreglar la paredes. Esto es algo que yo he estado haciendo poco a poco hasta que la Doñita se desespero y llamo por ayuda.
Aqui estoy sellando un closet que daba hacia la sala. Sacamos la puerta y lo vamos a abrir hacia el otro lado, que es el cuarto de Megan.

My host family helped us work on the house this weekend. I've been making slow progress and the little woman got frustrated and called for help. This used to be a closet in the living room. We will open it on the other side which is Megan's room.

Aqui le estoy aplicando la textura las paredes. Se hace con un compresor de aire y un embudo lleno de lodillo. El aire dispara el lodo y lo estrella en las paredes.

Here I am spraying the walls with drywall mud.

Despues de dejar que se seque un poquito el lodillo, se toma una cuchilla ancha y se aplasta para dejar la textura deseada.Alli esta mi host Dad, Donald.

And here is my host Dad, knocking it down.

Y mi host Mom no se quedo atras. Tambien le metio duro a arrancar el papel tapiz de la cocina.

My host mom went to work on the kitchen wallpaper.

Bueno, y como ya me estaba cansando de tanto trabajar decidí buscar ayuda. Contraté a una inmigrante indocumentada que encontré por allí y la puse a pintar. Es difícil encontrar buena ayuda estos dias.

I was getting tired of working so hard so I decided to get some help. I hired an illegal alien that I found in the neigborhood and put her to work. It's hard to find good help these days.