The Alcazar Family

Funny/not so funny story from this year

2010-02-09T23:21:00.000-08:00

So, we are still homeschooling through a charter school in Monterey, which I really love. Both because we get to go visit and because it is an awesome way to home educate! During one of our visits this last Fall we decided to drive by our old place. As we were driving by Naya says, "for a minute there it felt like all of this was just a nightmare and we were going home".

Huh...... okay, not so funny. Kinda sad.

I guess I thought it was funny to hear it come from her. I knew Cisco and I felt that way, but to hear it come from a kid, my kid. And it was so honestly and perfectly put that you just had to laugh.

2010-02-09T23:09:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been almost a year since we've updated this. It's almost baseball time again. I guess maybe blogging is not our thing. It has been a crazy year though, in our defense. We have moved, was it 13 times in 6 months? About every 2 weeks, while Cisco worked 3 jobs ( Trader Joe's, cleaning carpets for my parents and working at an apartment complex as a handy man in training) that never paid enough and I worked part time and homeschooled Naya and Bubs. Even still we somehow managed to do baseball and Taekwondo for Angelo and gymnastics for Lanaya. They are now in music lessons, Naya in guitar and Angelo in piano. We are now living on my parents property in a studio, yes, all four of us. And to top it all off my parents have been fighting a battle for their vacation rental license this last year and are now suing the City of Napa. Which meant we went to a couple of hearings and tried to keep out of the visitors way while they were viewing the property. Phew!

It is by God grace and His design that we have managed all this. There were moments in all honesty when we felt like we could not handle it all for one more minute, but He strengthened and encouraged us and we press on.

Babe Ruth Baseball

2009-03-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

Today was Angelo's first day of practice for the Napa Babe Ruth Baseball league. This year he's off the baseball tee and onto the pitching machine. He was hoping for a real person to pitch to him, so it's a bit of an adjustment.

February: the Tooth month.

2009-03-06T23:34:00.002-08:00

February was the month of losing teeth. Lanaya's molar lost her 10th and 11th tooth last month, her 11th being her first molar. That was quite the event. We had Pastor Bill and his wife Debbie over for dinner that night and Naya was determined to have it out before the night was over. Sure'nough, as they were pulling out of the drive way the tooth came out and she went running outside to let them know.

As for Angelo, he's had this 2 front teeth loose for over a couple of months. They finally came out a couple of weeks ago. The first one, I had the privelege of pulling out. It had been literally hanging by a thread for like 7 days, but Angelo wanted to wait for the right time... whatever that was!?! He asked me if I'd like to pull it out and I said, "Sure!". So I grabbed a piece of tissue and tried pulling out. After 3 or 4 tries, Angelo asked me to use my whole body and pull. So, I did and it came right out. He was soooo stoked. He thanked me and later on that night, when it was time to pray, Angelo thanked the Lord for giving him a Daddy who could pull out his tooth so that it wouldn't hurt. I felt like a hero that day. The second tooth came out day's later. Angelo pulled that one out himself.

Before

After

After after

Angelo's 7th Birthday

2009-03-06T23:12:00.000-08:00

A little late is better than never! Angelo turned 7 on February 14th. We had a little party for him with Gramma and Grampa at their house. He asked for his favorite dinner... Macaroni-N-Cheese w/Hot Dogs, just like Lanaya.

A couple of weeks later (due to sickies) we had a party at Chuck E. Cheese's with the Kim's and the Lopez family. Josiah Kim and Sammy Lopez are his buddies. They had a great time!

Mac~N~Cheese~N~Hot Dogs... w/ketchup!

Clone Wars Helmet from Mommy & Daddy!

Party at Chuck E. Cheese's!

Wheel of Fortune!

Snow day

2009-02-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

We had a chance to go to the snow at Soda Springs with Cornerstone's Children's Ministry. The last time we went to the snow was about 4 years ago. Angelo was 3 and Lanaya was 5. We had a great time. Here are some pics.

The Molar: on it's way out

2009-02-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

...any moment now!

Season of the tooth

2009-02-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

Lanaya lost a tooth last night and has another one that's ready to come out; it's a molar. This is her 10th tooth she's lost. Unfortunately, the Tooth Fairy forgot to come in the middle of the night. We told her that sometimes he comes during the day when she's not in her room because sometimes it's hard lifting her head in the middle of the night. Angelo has had a "wobbly-tooth" sinse before Christmas, so he's ready for his to come out. I'll post when they come out.

Manual Labor

2009-01-29T08:56:00.000-08:00

Angelo helped me unload some firewood from Grandpa's van, yesterday. After 15 minutes he called it quits and asked if he could ride his scooter. He's definately a strong kid, but he would rather play than work. Next time I'll make a game out of it :).

Happy Birthday Naya!

2009-01-23T23:20:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Lanaya's 9th birthday. Upon Lanaya's request, we had her favorite dinner: Macaroni & Cheese. Afterwards, she opened up a few presents then it was off to Thursday night service. Missy made some cupcakes to take to church for her class. Tonight, she invited her friend Kaylen to have a sleepover. We all went to the movies to see, "Hotel for Dogs" and now they're watching "High School Musical" and giggling a whole lot. Me and Angelo played a little Star Wars Lego's on the Wii for some guy time. We're all having fun.

Happy Birthday Lanaya Grace!!!

Leaving Monterey

2009-01-21T15:10:00.000-08:00

We recently moved from Monterey back to Napa. Here are some pictures of friends blessing us and with love and help. The first pictures are from a "going away" party for the kids. Several families showed up for it, including: The Cookston's, The Stott's, The Scott's, The Flores family and the Edwards family. The moving pictures took place on Saturday, 1/3. Andy Stotts and Zach Saleh helped pack the Uhaul. The Bridge guys (Tony, Louie, Joseph, Adam, Sal and Elliott) helped with the big, heavy stuff and they helped me clean up a bit. Thanks to Sara, Zach & Adie, Heather, Jordan & Jill and many others for helping us pack. Thanks to Jessica and Erika for the boxes. We love you all and miss Monterey a bunch. Hope to see you all soon!

The Holidays!

2009-01-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

This past Christmas was pretty eventful: Phil Wickham concert, Christmas at home, Christmas Eve Service at CCMB, Christmas at the Dornaus's and Christmas at my sister's house. Here are some pics. We'll post soon about our recent move to Napa. Enjoy!

2008-09-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite places to go and just chill, sometimes worship a little and watch the sun set.

Remember these guys?

2008-04-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

The Clark Brother's being a light in a dark world!

Princess Naya

2008-01-17T21:52:00.000-08:00

The many faces of Bubba

2008-01-14T18:17:00.000-08:00

Stormy weather

2008-01-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

We had our first storm of 2008 on Friday and, let me tell you, it was pretty intense. Winds got up to 60 mph and the rain was constant. A few trees fell at the church, no major damage. On Saturday, we drove around and saw some trees that were uprooted, large tree branches on the ground and in PG, we saw an area where the ocean, during high-tide, actually flooded the street. It was weird to see sand and seaweed on the road. It was scary and exciting at the same time. ~Cisco.

Remembering Roby

2008-01-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

I found this video of Roby Duke performing at Calvary Chapel Thousand Oaks, Sunday December 23rd, 2007. He went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, December 26th. This song is one of our favorites! We're going to miss him, but we'll see him again :) ~Cisco.

Our Christmas bike ride

2007-12-31T17:49:00.000-08:00

So, after a few days of eating a lot of food: crab, beef wellington, creme brulee, tamales, etc., we decided to get a little exercise. We went upvalley to Yountville and rented some bikes to work off some of the Christmas weight. We had a great time. Hope this becomes a new tradition. ~Cisco.

Christmas catch-up

2007-12-30T21:18:00.000-08:00

We've been so busy this December... wait this November and December, that we haven't had much time to blog stuff. Not to mention that we left our camera in Southern California during our anniversary and didn't get it back until Christmas. Anyway, here is a slide show of our best Christmas tree ever and the kids during there Christmas Choir performance. Enjoy! ~Cisco

Prayers go out.....

2007-12-30T18:44:00.001-08:00

For the Patrician family as they have lost a dad, a husband and a friend this christmas holiday! I can't imagine how hard it must be. May the Lord be with you, may He go before your every step, may He meet all your needs, may you all know Him like you've never known him before, and may He fill the holes in your hearts and heal your wounds during this time of deep loss! May you know him as your comforter, your saviour, provider, redemeer and friend. May you know him as Father....

Prayers go out.....

2007-12-30T18:44:00.000-08:00

Prayers go out tonight for Roby Duke's family and friends. We will miss his laughter and his music he so graciously shared with us! We are priviledged to share is his great gift! And we are sure he is making the most beautiful music as he touches His face. One day we will see Him too!

Christmas Day

2007-12-29T19:22:00.000-08:00

Abuela, Auntie Bernie and Nana

2007-11-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

It was a real treat to have my mom, sister and niece in town this last weekend. They live in Vallejo and rarely get a chance to come visit us in Monterey, but things worked out for them to stay 3 days. I got to show them where I work on Saturday and then on Sunday they came to 3rd service... WOO-HOO! It was the first time my mom has ever seen what Missy and I do. She was "overwhelmed" by it all.

Lanaya and Angelo really enjoy hanging out with Abuela (Grandma), Auntie Bernie and Cousin Nana (Ariana). And, as always, they got spoiled. Auntie Bernie is especially good at that. Lanaya scored a sweet looking hat and Angelo got a mini skateboard. The funny thing about it is that we told Angelo that he had to wait until he was 6 years old before he could have a skateboard. He prayed that he would get one before he turned 6 and sure enough, the Lord granted his request. I guess special exceptions apply when family comes to town :) ~Cisco.

Fall Family Festival 2007

2007-11-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

We had a great time this Halloween at CCMB's Fall Family Festival. Lanaya dressed up as Snow White and Angelo was a Jedi (Qui Gon Jin to be exact). I just threw on my Giant's jersey and Giant's hat and was a baseball player. Missy took the kids around to the games and bounce houses while I ran around making sure the sound equipment was up and running. We also had James and the Professor performing in the sanctuary. All in all, it was a good time.

Jesus Loves Me + Popcorn

2007-10-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

Get a few friends together and try it! :) ~Cisco

Fun at Pizzinni Farms

2007-10-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

Lanaya and Angelo with our friends Abby, Lilly, and Bea in the artichoke patch at thier grandparents farm. This was my first time having fried, or as the kids called em', french fried artichoke hearts! Yummy! Thanks to Ilene!

Here's Naya, Lilly and Bea at the conveyer belt checking out the artichokes and looking for worms! It was nice of Ilene's brother Tony to show us how it all worked!

The kids loved running in the fields and exploring. Angelo said they wanted to have an adventure, but if the mom's came it would only be a field trip. Sorry Angelo. :)

Here is the slough in between the artichoke fields. The kids had a blast throwing sticks and rocks into the thick slimy goo! Yuck! We laughed so hard!

Reading & Riding

2007-10-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

Bubba's first reader!

Naya's "Go Dog Go!"

Bike ride at El Estero

Christmas in September

2007-09-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

She's a natural!

He's a natural, too.... kinda!?!

"You can dance if you want to..."

The Aliens have landed!

2007-09-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

Bro's , Burger's & Baseball

2007-09-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

Last night we watched the Giants beat the Dodgers, 5 to 4, at AT&T Park (sorry Nate). Me, Nate Holdridge, Riley Ramones and Will Silva enjoyed Club Level seats and great views of McCovey Cove and the Bay Bridge. On the way, Nate, Riley and I stopped at In-N-Out Burger, had a double-double and then took Caltrain from San Carlos into San Francisco. It dropped us off 2 blocks away for the stadium. Caltrain...very convenient and it beats sitting in traffic. ~Cisco

Gramma's Birthday

2007-09-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

We were in Napa this past Monday to surprise Gramma for her birthday. We enjoyed the beautiful sunny day in and out of the pool and watched Lanaya & Angelo swim all day. They are doing great. Lanaya can swim confidently in the deep end now and Bubba just got enough gutts to try it. I challenged him to swim to me; I'd take a step backwards and have him swim to me again. Eventually, we got out to the deep end and I asked him if he'd like to try swimming all the way across. He agreed and did it! We are so proud of both of them. The pool slide was a hit! They both know how to slide down and swim to the side.

Later that night, Grampa made a wonderful dinner and we had cake & presents for Gramma. We took a walk around the block and enjoyed the beautiful sunset over the Browns Valley hills. God truely has blessed them with a gorgeous home and beautiful surroundings!

Hoffman Park

2007-09-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday is a half day for me from work and you know what that means... Family Fun Day. This last Saturday we went to Hoffman Park, a cool little park we found when we were living in Pacific Grove (PG). We like this park because nobody's hardly ever there and it overlooks the Bay.

The first thing that Naya and Bubba jump on is this spinning wheel thingy. They just spin and spin in circles until they fall off. I don't know how they do it. If they're anything like me, they would get sick after the first spin. After the spinning wheel is the play set; Naya likes to climb on top of the monkey bars and Bubba likes to swing. It's really cool to see them playing together. They're like best buds. It reminds me of when my sister, Bernie and I would just play for hours together at the playground in our old apartment complex in Napa. I wonder if Naya and Bubs will have similar memories? ~Cisco.

Catchin' bugs

2007-09-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

Me, Naya and Bubs catchin' bugs out in the shared courtyard of our townhome complex. The kids are growing up aren't they? ~Cisco.

Mama knows how to cook.

2007-08-30T19:16:00.001-07:00

So, Missy wasn't sure exactly what she was going to make for dinner tonight. All she knew was... MEXICAN FOOD... about an hour later this marvelous display of culinary excellence appeared before me. She had never prepared this meal before, but let me tell you... we will have it again. It was like having chicken enchilada without the enchilada. Anyway, all I can say is................ "My belly is very, very happy!"