Merry Christmas Everyone!

I cannot believe it has been near six months since I have even looked at our blog. How time flies! I've been thinking of family and friends recently since the Holidays are closing in on us. All of you that I don't regularly see, we miss so much!

Heidi & Aaron!!!! We miss you guys!!!!

Mom! Cant wait to see you this summer. Sending our love.

Dad! We love you and think of you every time we pass Golden Corral. Can we hold out going until you can join us?

I want to wish all of you the best of years for 2009. I promise that as our life finds some balance again I will start taking and posting pictures & stories again.

Love & Hugs, Jennifer & Family

Cutie Ian

Here are a couple of cute pictures of Ian. Or rather one of Ian and one of Superhero Buzz Lightyear. I'm not sure why Buzz looks so down, but Ian sure looks happy.

And now he sleeps.

Click on the picture to enlarge it & look at what is in Jason's mouth! It's a Lego tire! Don't worry, he didn't choke on it in his sleep. Justin's mom said last week that he took a bite of a granola bar & proceeded to pass out with it in his mouth. Maybe it's his way of keeping track of his important things while he naps.

Jason entertaining himself...and me.

Yes, we already bought Jason a car! Actually, this is Adam's hand-me-down. Jason clearly doesn't mind.

His totally cool winter cap is also a hand-me-down, from our friend Micah. Micah has great taste, although I'm not sure he would recommend the cap and tie-dye onsie be worn together.

Here Birdie, Birdie

A few weeks ago the kids found a young dove in our backyard that had fallen out of it's nest. It was unhurt, but still needed to be feed by it's parents. So Adam adopted it (don't they make a cute pair?). The kids were so sweet with it. And it learned quickly to enjoy our company. You could see how it didn't want to be in another room alone. Sadly after near a week, it stole away while we ate breakfast. So we will inevitably be getting a replacement sometime soon - a parakeet, probably. Any recommendations or advice?

Now the second photo is of a crow that has been feasting on all the dove eggs in our trees (we need a few less doves in our trees!). We've watched this guy eat many eggs and it appeared one day to be considering nesting in one of our trees with another crow! These birds are so beautiful, I cannot believe it! I hope they stick around.

Time flies...

My goodness, how time flies! We have been SO busy and overwhelmed with finishing our new store, that I haven't been on line for a while (obviously!).

So, I give thee the following... (or the preceeding, since blogger places newest posts at the top).

Look at our sign!!

FINALLY!! The sign company that we hired only took an extra 7 weeks to get this done! But it's beautiful. Justin did all of the artwork (he does all of JJ's artwork). He is totally awesome. Remember to click on the picture to see it up close & then come by to see it in real life!!

Also, I'll be adding some other pictures to the JJ's blog next. So check the progress inside the store. We're still looking at 2-3 weeks before we can move in.

Painting at the New JJ's

Here are some pictures of our new store. We are in the process of painting & then we will be tiling the floors.

I'm putting these pictures on our family blog since Adam is in them. We will be adding some to our store's blog soon (minus the kids). Check it out at http://gojjs.blogspot.com/

Zoo Family Pictures

One of these pictures I took, so my sister, Jackie could be in it. Then she took one with me in it. Her kids are Jacob, in blue, and Anikin, in red. Grandpa John is wearing Allison's hat. And Allison is dressed in Adam's soccer uniform. I am wearing my own clothes, thank you!

Just a reminder to click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Zoo Day

Can you tell which of these are the zoo visitors and which are the zoo residents? The two monkeys are Adam and his cousin, Jacob.

On our second visit to the zoo, the animals were more active then they often are (I think because it was earlier in the day). The big cats were out and about. The polar bears were playing. The peacocks were displaying and making lots of noise. My favorite was the prairie dogs. The kids also liked seeing the seals and sea lions get feed. And Adam likes the birds of prey!

Then we took the train over to the aquarium and had a picnic lunch. I cannot believe the endless amounts of energy the kids have! I'm still pooped!

Tyranosaurus!! Watch Out.

Here we are at the Natural History Museum. The kids especially love the "lava room" (where it looks like there is lava flowing under your feet).

We saw the Dynamax show "The Living Sea." It was awesome. But, I realized that Grandpa John lives in the living sea! He scuba dives regularly when he's at home. He has actually been to the places that were in the show! Too cool!!

A Visitor from Hawaii...

My dad has been visiting us for the past 10 days. He has managed to break away from the beautiful ocean to visit New Mexico (His "gills are drying out!"). We have been all over the city of Albuquerque seeing the sights. We've been to the zoo twice, the Natural History Museum, the Balloon Museum, Explora, the Rattlesnake Museum...

The kids LOVE their Grandpa John. And I think Grandpa John loves them too. We have loved having him here and can't wait for his return in the future.

The following posts will show a couple of highlights of his visit. Although, I am not good at taking pictures regularly.

Stop Being Corny!

Boy, do we love corn!

Encore from the prized pouter!

Here is an early work from Allison. You can see all of the hard work she's put into earning her prize for the Best Pout.

Who loves mud?

It was a beautiful day today. We spent lots of time outside. It rained for the first time in a long time. And it's been oddly chilly. But tomorrow is supposed to be hot!!

Ian Sleeping

Wow. Doesn't he look comfy?

First Prize for Best Pout Goes To...

New blog for JJs Pizza move!

We finally created a separate blog to document our journey with JJ's Pizza. Our move is about 6-8 weeks away, and we have a lot of work ahead of us.

Sneak a peak at: www.gojjs.blogspot.com/ (you may have to cut & paste this to your address line). The web site is www.gojjs.com. Justin made it!

And send us lots of energy and well wishes, please!

Falling down the Mountain

No one's falling down. These kids are kings! (That's a Jane's Addiction reference, by the way.)

This mound of dirt was located at Grandpa Tom's cabin, where he was doing some construction. They also got a chance to control a tractor!!

That is their Aunt Savanah at the top with Allison. Remember to click on the photos to see them bigger and better!

Yard Play, All Day

WE LOVE SUMMER!!

Yertle, the Turtle

Here is our aquatic turtle, making his (her?) first appearance this spring. He actually digs in and hibernates in our pond each winter! Then, poof! When the weather turns warm, he makes a run for the sun! Justin usually puts logs in the pond for him to sun on, but we weren't ready with them this time & he climbed right onto the bridge. The kids were able to get pretty close & the turtle didn't mind.

They are doing this easing up thing on "Mr. Robin" too. We have a robin couple that live in our trees & they come into our yard to gather nesting materials, eat, and take baths in our pond. Mr. Robin lets us get pretty close. Adam would like for him to eat seeds out of his hand!

Biker Dude!

Look at Adam on his bike. He is the master rider. This is his latest bike upgrade, donated to us by his Aunt Savanah. Adam can change gears now! How cool!

Also, he has recently earned the privilege of riding on his own around our block. One of his favorite pastimes.

Ride on, Brother!!

New Jason Photos

Here are a couple of pictures of the newly turned one-year-old Jason. He is walking, although still likes to crawl. He's already full of personality. Look at those knowing eyes...that stern command!! He's got our numbers. Watch out!

The new JJ's is coming along.

Things are really beginning to move at our new store now. The old roof is gone, as well as the old dark awning. The inside has been cleaned out. We should be getting our pole sign completed in the coming week. Our hood vent is currently being "fabricated." Next week on goes the new roof.

I think the building will be turned over to us in about a month or six weeks. Then we do our inside stuff, like the flooring and walls. Then we move!!

So, sometime in June or July, the new store will open & we'll be having a "Grand Opening." We'll let everyone know when the time comes & I'm sure all of you will flock in from all over the world to join us!!

Wish us more and more luck, as we continue on this new and exciting path. And stay tuned here as things really start moving. As soon as our sign is finished I'll post a picture!

Heeere's Jason!!

Here's a couple of pictures of Jason. We are of the belief that he actually can walk, but for some reason, he chooses not to. I think in the next few weeks, he'll be on his feet.

He will have his first birthday in a month (April 25th).

It is the official birthday season in the Salazar household. First Allison (3/24), Justin (4/14), Jason (4/25), and lastly Adam (5/6). Poor Mom and Ian are winter babies!

Allison's 6th Birthday!! ...continued

So, here is Allison and her official birthday cake. This one we ate, and it was completely delicious!! Is there anything wrong with a birthweek?

Please excuse our burnt table. That's from a homemade candle experiment, gone slightly wrong (Adam's doing, my fault)!

Allison's 6th Birthday!!

So Allison's birthday was this past Monday (the 24th). Justin & I both had to work, so we (mostly Adam) made Allison a mud pie cake & put real candles on it. Adam decorated it with real flowers and pretend strawberries! Grandma Mimi joined us, and we sang "Happy Birthday" to her probably 3 times. Then all 3 of the kids blew out the candles, over & over, until they were little candle stumps.

We finally got it together on Wednesday and made her the traditional Salazar ice cream cake. Yum!!

Also, some important news: Allison lost her two, bottom teeth within the span of a week or so. The 2nd one came out on her birthday. She is now the bearer of the name "Gappy" and she has a little lisp. SO SWEET!

Lastly, she is growing out her bangs! It won't be much longer until we are past that awkward in between stage.

Lego Planes

Here is a picture (taken by Ian) of Lego planes made by Adam. The one on the left is Ian's, and the one on the right is Adam's.

Justin is actually working on some cool motorized Lego things. He has made a spider-y type thing that walks on six legs! I'll try to get some footage sometime!

Mom and Jason

Hopefully Jason's cuteness makes up for my funny looking face!

He now has 4 teeth on top and 2 below. (I currently have 16 teeth on top and 16 below!)

Under Cover

Baby Jason

Jason now has four teeth, with two more coming in any day. He'll be eating steak before we know it!

He is very happy and loves to play with his brothers and sister. He follows them around all day.

He is a master crawler and is working on his balance. I think he'll be walking soon.

Our Official Holiday Photo

These are the best pictures I got (with the Christmas Branches in the background). I love Adam's "picture face." Many of the pictures of him recently have him making this face!

On Christmas morning the kids were rather patient waiting for us to get up to find the candy in their stockings (Adam was especially hoping for jellybeans, which he got). Then came the present fest. They are so good. They appreciate each gift. It took a while to get through them all (there really weren't that many). Adam got a microscope. He's been wanting one for a while. He also bought Hot Wheels cars for Allison and Ian with his very own money. What a generous and thoughtful guy!

We had a great day.

Ahh...to sleep, to dream!

Happy New Year!

So it's officially 2008 (already?!). I have completely failed all of you in keeping you up-to-date on the happenings around here.

Well, I can catch you up real quick: Work, work, work. Hi, ho, it's off to work we go --Justin & Jennifer both, seven days a week, for the past couple of months. It does look like it's over for now. The store is fully staffed (for the MOMENT).

So we slacked on some of our usual Holiday traditions. For instance, instead of trekking through the mountains & cutting our tree, we had the great idea of cutting some branches from our extra large trees in the back yard & decorating them (picture to follow). It worked rather well. And the kids LOVED it!

There was lots of last minute gift purchasing. We couldn't find a "Hungry, Hungry Hippo" game anywhere (for Ian). Oh well. We might survive!

SO over the first few days of this new year I'll try to share some pictures of the last month of 2007.

Wishing you all the best for 2008!