Bullocks of Woodinville

The Backyard Fence

2009-04-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

Last summer was the season of the "backyard fence". I eagerly bought the posts, the ropes, and all the other materials. They then sat on the back patio as I contemplated how to get the job done. Then one day my brothers showed up. The next day the job was done. We now feel a little safer with at least one barrier between Trey and Warren and the lake.

Brothers Dave and John helping me get things started

With a full days work ahead of us.

Dave & John helping me get after it.

Working with my brother John

Working with my brother Dave

Making Good Progress...

Brothers take a break to talk over design

Your Project Foreman

Working on the back gate

Burning the ends of the rope

Back gate from the yard side

Back gate from the lake side

Trimming down the fence posts

Finished Product!

Quepos - Costa Rica

2008-10-07T23:56:00.000-07:00

Quepos is a small but popular beach town on the western coast of Costa Rica. It was the first place we visited as a family. It was also the last place we would visit once we were reunited with Bryant. Bryant served here for several months as a missionary. It was an area full of people that he would come to love. It was also the second area on his mission that he was assigned to open. This means the church had yet to be established there. There were a handful of members living there who had been travelling long distances to attend church each week. They would now be a big help in getting things going in Quepos.

The city of Quepos sits right on the beach.
Here is the view from the main street.

This is one of the main bridges that gets you in and out of Quepos. Two times we had to wait about an hour to cross because they were doing work on it. The bridge would shake and rattle each time we crossed. Definitely an entertaining ride.

Our First Sunday with the group in Quepos (soon to be la rama)

Inside of the church in Quepos.
This is where we had Sacrament meeting and Sunday School.

Trey and Warren going through Bryant's ties our last night in Quepos

Bry with brothers Ryan and Kyle. Months earlier Bry had baptized Ryan in the ocean as one of the first new members in the Quepos. Ryan's mother Zeidy had been a member for years but had lost contact with the church. She was more than excited to run into the Elders in Quepos. Her husband Walton was soon baptized. Zeidy would be a huge help in getting the church going in Quepos.

Keri with Zeidy (mother of Ryan and Kyle)

Trey getting agressive with Ryan & Kyle in their front yard

Warren chillin in Zeidy's front yard with one of the nephews

Trey and Warren hanging with Ryan and Kyle at church.

Bry with Flavio. Another amazing story. Flavio was introduced to the church through Zeidy. When Bryant met him he had the longest dreds he had ever seen. Flavio completely turned his life around and was baptized shortly after Bryant left the area. His wife was not too happy though about the hair cut. Flavio sent Bryant home with a strand of dreds as a memory of him.

We are with a very special family here. Rodrigo, La China and the boys. La China is a nickname. Boys are Jorge and Jaffet. Bryant ran into them knocking doors. They are all amazing. Rodrigo now teaches Sunday School. We had a great time with them. We are outside the little store La China runs next door to their home.

Keri with La China after church.

This is a picture of Bryant's first apartment in Quepos. It served as the church and his apartment. It used to be an old bar. Rodrigo would later say how ironic it was for him to first take the sacrament in a place that he had previously visted as a bar.

Kacie with Pamela and Diana just after church.

Our last day in Quepos we ate lunch with most of the members in Quepos. Bry went around the city inviting everyone to meet us at Dos Locos. There ended up being about 30 people there including us and the missionaries. It was a great farewell. The people of Quepos were amazing.

Front of Dos Locos

Everyone waiting for food

Bry with Rodrigo and Family

Bry with El Chileno and Techi. They are long time members. Bryant slept on their family room floor the first couple of days in Quepos as he looked around for a place to live.

Bry with Ziedy, Walter, Flavio, and more friends.

During lunch we slipped next door to buy new soccer balls.
Ryan and Kyle were in heaven.

Bry with Angie Pamela.
She came straight from school to see Bryant off.

Keri entertaining Warren at lunch.

At the front entrance of Dos Locos

September Sun

2008-09-16T22:27:00.001-07:00

September is always an incredible month in Seattle. This year is no exception. Solid sunshine every day for the past two weeks. Today is September 15th. Keri and Trey spent all afternoon in the backyard on the lake. The water trampoline was the center of their fun.

September on Cottage Lake

Trey and Keri playing a little chase

Keri showing some muscle

Trey bouncing high

Trey doing one of his patented head stands

Trey loves to jump and crash!

Keri and Trey doing some synchronized jumping

Time to call it a day!

Sleepy Cove - Playa del Coco

2008-09-16T01:15:00.001-07:00

This is the first part in a series of blogs about our recent family trip to Costa Rica. We left home on August 2nd, 2008 for this land known as "Pura Vida". We would stay there for 11 fun-filled and inspiring days. The impetus of the trip was to retrieve our oldest son Bryant. We hadn't seen for him for two full years. He had been there serving as a missionary of Jesus Christ. We intentionally arrived a few days before we were to scheduled to reunite. The thought was to squeeze in some vacation time on a beautiful and secluded Central American beach. Once we were with Bryant we knew it would be a different kind of vacation. He would have us hurriedly traversing the country to visit people and places with no time to rest. We were absolutely right! Since we were visiting in the rainy season we headed up to the northern coast where it stays the driest. Our first destination was Sleepy Cove - a beach house perched high on the hillside overlooking the ocean. It was located in the small beach town of "Playa del Coco" also known as Coco Beach. It was without a doubt the perfect vacation destination!

The Welcome Sign to our Sleepy Cove rental

View from our room at Sleepy Cove

Kacie & Trey in the infinity pool!

Jamie & the boys take their turn

Stairs down to our bedrooms at Sleepy Cove

Trey loves to splash!

Entire family in the water

Dad and the Boys

Sisters trying to catch some rays

Kacie & the boys enjoying the water

Kacie hasn't moved all morning!

Trey kicking back

Jamie soaking it up

Kacie catches a sunset to remember

Keri & Trey feeding the local mapache

No doubt Warren enjoys Sleepy Cove!

Life gets more simple with Warren asleep

Trey on the rocks at Playa del Coco

Running the beach at Playa del Coco

Laying in the muddy beach water

Jamie at work in the sand

Who is that tiny man?

A note to BSO - Brent Sorensen

Trey and Dad enjoying some small waves

Trey tasted salt water more than once

Trey won't leave the beach!

Playa Hermosa - a neighboring beach

Raul and Lucia are the on site grounds keepers of Sleepy Cove. They are both from Nicaragua. They cross the border to earn better money. We became good friends with both of them and enjoyed some fine Nicaraguan cuisine. The family favorite was Nacatamales -- tamales Nicaraguan style. They are fantastic. That night Marcio, Daniella, and Ethan joined us for dinner as well. Marcio is the son of Luica and Raul. He married Daniella when she was 15. Trey's favorite was the Nica Tacos. Everyone loved the famous Arroz con Pollo as well.

Lucia w/ banana leaves for making Nacatamales

Lucia hard at work on the Nacatamales

Nacatamale in its initial stages

Nacatamale wrapped and ready to go

Nacatamles in full production

Final product at the dinner table

Marcio, Daniella, and Ethan join us for dinner

Lucia making Nicaraguan Tacos

Nicaraguan Tacos in full production

Trey at work on a Nicaraguan Taco

Trey hanging with Raul

Warren looking like an angel

Warren losing his shorts

1 more day on count down to Bryant

Trey wants to jump in one last time

Warren waving goodbye to Sleepy Cove

Rainier Vista Neighborhood House

2008-05-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

Kacie and I recently volunteered for an after school tutoring program in South Seattle. It has been a lot of fun. We go every Tuesday evening from 5:30 to 7:00. The program is setup by an organization called Horn of Africa Services (HOAS). We meet at a little community center called the Rainer Vista Neighborhood House. Most of the kids there are from East African families. Kacie and I work with three girls from Ethiopia. Their names are Sabontu (6th grade), Halima (4th grade), and Duretti (3rd grade). They are all cousins. They are all very bright. We help them through their homework and then outside to play a little neighborhood hoops.

Kacie in front of Neighborhood House with Halima and Duretti

4th Grade Halima is full of personality

3rd Grade Duretti enjoys testing out my glasses

6th Grade Sabontu is all business

The three amigas take a short study break

After tutoring we always make time for a little hoops outside. The girls really get after it on the neighborhood courts. The games actually get a little wild with all the neighborhood boys mixing in as well. They won't let us leave, however, without playing a little basketball.

Happy Mothers Day - From Jamie

2008-05-10T23:39:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day Keri!

Warren B Celebrates Birthday #1

2008-05-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Today (May 7th) marks a big day in the life of Warren B. He celebrates his first full year on planet earth. That would be birthday #1. The look on his face with bottle in hand tell it all. It's obvious he has been exploding with anticipation. He can't wait for the presents! Following family custom, Keri had the early morning birthday table all ready to roll. Warren finally awoke at 8 am with a little anxious nudging from Trey. Trey had already been painfully staring at the table for a good hour. He was thinking this was all very unfair. In the end, he assisted in opening the gifts and everybody was happy. We will break out the cake and candles this evening when Kacie is back from school!

What's all the fuss about?

I wonder what's inside?

Trey volunteers to open gifts!

Trey does a little drum roll for Warren's big event

Later in the evening we did eventually break out the birthday cake. Keri had baked up her chocolate birthday special. The lone celebratory candle was carefully placed right in the middle. Warren's hands immediately dove right into the cake. Within a few minutes we had a chocolate mess. Warren kept grabbing at the single flame. Fortunately he was protected by the chocolate frosting plastered all over his hands. Trey was also helpful on the extinguishing end with his friendly huffs and puffs.

My Birthday Cake!

The Big Birthday Smile!

The Chocolate Mess

My Birthday Friends

Flashback to the beast on his birthday #1

70 degrees in Seattle

2008-04-13T23:42:00.000-07:00

After three weeks of rain it seemed like a miracle to finally see sunshine in Seattle. Better yet, our oldest daughter Jamie, is back at home. She is in between semesters at school. She reminds us that she is the real sunshine in Seattle. Everything was looking good. Unfortunately for Trey and his handsome face this would not be a pretty day. Here is a picture early friday morning of Trey looking good with the sun blazing through our back windows.

With the sunshine and Jamie at home we decided to take a little walk to the park. Jamie situated Warren in the stroller, Kacie hopped on her bike, and Trey zoomed out on his favorite trike.

Trey pumping as fast as he can to keep stride with big sister Kacie.

Trey resting by the side of the road waiting for Jamie and Warren.

As we came to the end of our street, we arrived at Trey's favorite hill. He loves to kick up his feet and fly away. He always makes us a little nervous. This time he gave us good reason. Jamie and Kacie had gone ahead to wait for him at the bottom. They were making sure the runway was clear. Problem is -- they became part of the run way. Trey crashed right into one of their bikes. The handle bar of the bike hit him right on the cheek bone. It was not a pretty sight. His cheek split open and we all ended up racing back to the house. Our walk to the park would wait for another day.

Within minutes we were all in the car headed to ER. We arrived at Evergreen Hospital and Trey showed his true colors. He was nothing less than a champion. He never winced once through all the doctors and nurses. They cleaned out his wound, took a cat scan, numbed up his cheek, and glued the cut shut. Yes, they used glue! Everyone was relieved there was no damage to his eye. Trey looks like he went a few rounds with Mike Tyson but he still won't slow down. As we were leaving the hospital, Jamie had him smiling and saying, "I'm Back in Action". As soon as we got back home he wanted back on the trike. He is on mandatory rest for the next couple of days. We are all hoping he heals up without a major scar. Everyone loves his face!

Trey taking a nap later that afternoon

Trey back in action with his big smile

Trey with Warren and his bloodshot eye

Cottage Lake Park

2008-03-26T11:18:00.001-07:00

Everything in life has become a more challenging with two little ones running around. That includes finding time to work out. Last week I broke down and bought a jogging stroller at Costco. All week long now I have been jogging to Cottage Lake park with Trey and sometimes Warren. When Warren comes along, Trey likes to ride along side in his little tricycle.

Warren is in the stroller while Trey is blazing ahead on his trike!

Trey is an absolute maniac on wheels. Our street ends in a serious hill and he goes down that thing 100 mph. He lifts up his legs and pushes them out sideways and goes full steam ahead. His trike starts shaking from side to side and its only a matter of time before he bites it. When we get to the main road out front (Woodinville / Duvall), I always make Trey get back in the stroller. Its a short jog to the park and he is back out doing his thing again.

Trey flying down the hill that enters Cottage Lake Park!

Of course, Trey always eats up the playground once we get there.

And of course we always bring a couple of basketballs and work on our hoop games.

Here is T-Bone once we are at the park relaxing a little on the swings

Here is Warren chillin on the swings as well.

And here they are swinging together.

Disneyland 2008

2008-02-22T15:35:00.001-08:00

We spent mid winter break of 2008 in Anaheim, California. We being Scott, Keri, Kacie, Trey, and Warren. Kacie suggested the trip late one evening and two days later we were booked and ready to go. We left Saturday afternoon, February 16th, and returned Thursday evening, February 21st. It had been 10 years since our last visit to Anaheim. Kacie was just a few years old. Trey and Warren were not even part of the story yet.

We stayed at the Residence Inn just 1/2 mile from Disneyland. We were in room 2021. The accomodations were perfect for the five of us. We had private entry, a little kitchen, a heated pool, basketball court, buffet breakfast, and walking distance to the theme parks.

Trey enjoying an early buffet breakfast before heading out for some fun. His facial expressions always set the tone for the day.

On Sunday, our first full day there, we went to church with the Anaheim 3rd ward. Trey went to the nursery and Keri and Kacie to the primary. I chilled with Warren in the lobby. Later we all reunited for sacrament meeting. The chapel was less than 3 miles from Disneyland. Some people there called it the Disneyland ward.

Monday through Thursday we spent almost all our time in the pool or at one of the parks. Trey's preferred place was the pool. Everyday as we would awake and before we would retire at night Trey would look at me with a hopeful smile and say, "Trey swimmin?". Each visit to the pool would consist of me catching Trey around 50 times as he jumped in from the side. Each jump was often accompanied by a little dance and some hilarious grins. He is full of personality.

Warren's favorite ride of the trip was King Triton's Carousel. It was located in the California Adventure Park. Unfortunately, the carousel in Disneyland was shut down for repair. Trey and Warren must have ridden this carousel 15 times within the span of an hour. Each time we would finish, Trey would quickly chime "Do again, dad?".

Trey's favorite ride was Autotopia in Disneyland. Since Warren was with us we were able to do the baby swap thing and Trey could ride multiple times in a row. Nevertheless when our time was done he was telling me off in his three year old way. He would have stayed there all day if he could.

Trey was fortunate to measure in at 40 inches which is the required height limit for most of the rides. He was able to ride splash mountain, thunder mountain railroad, and Soarin over California. He managed all of them pretty well. He would hug Kacie a little close and close his eyes during the most exciting parts but he was a champion considering he just turned three.

Kacie was miss congenial the entire trip always trying to please Trey and Warren. We had to force her to enjoy some of the thrills of the parks. She did end up testing about every exciting ride from the Matterhorn of Disney to the Tower of Terror in California Adventure. She really needed one of her close cousins to be there to enjoy the action together.

Kacie was also the great built in baby sitter. She often managed the stroller, held a wrestless or sleeping Warren, and constantly entertained Trey. Here she is on the Disney train taking care of business with the dynamic duo.

Trey loved to stop at every disney store and stand to test out their products. He still doesn't understand the tradeoff between money and product so it made each stop difficult. Here he is in action fashioning his favorite Mickey hat and braids. To make things more interesting he throws in his favorite funny face.

The weather was nice but not perfect. The first two days we were filled with sun and just over 70 degrees. The last two days were a little rainy and in the low 60's. Here is Kacie showing some positive mental attitude to some early morning rain. It was a wet morning but things turned around nicely for a great afternoon.