The Royal Barragans

Can you hear me now?

2010-04-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

Take (and pretty much do it yourself) and Bake

2010-03-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

If you ask my what my favorite pizza is, you might think I'm joking. It sounds like some sort of weird pregnancy craving gone wrong, but it is actually the most delicious combination: Pineapple and Anchovies.

If I were to open a restaurant it would be the house special and I would call it The Sponge Bob™.

The other night Joel and I were craving said pizza. Unfortunately we didn't have all of the ingredients, so we decided to order out. There are a number of pizza places in town, but most can take up to an hour to deliver, and we wanted to eat sooner than that. We considered running out to the store to make our own, but then decided it would be quicker to order from Papa Murphy's because it is actually right next to the grocery store AND they do all the work for you -- or so we thought.

I called ahead to place the order (HELPFUL HINT: If you live in Hollister, CA the number is easy to remember: 637-PAPA, but for Alamedans like us, you have to dial 865-4777 or 865-GRRR). They took the order without question, leading me to believe it may not have been that uncommon. I was told it would ready to pick up in 5 minutes, so with that I was out the door and on the way to pick up dinner. I was so excited knowing in just over 12-18 minutes we would have a pizza ready to eat.

You can imagine my surprise when arriving at Papa M's to see exactly how the pizza was prepared (i.e., not at all):

(it's a little difficult to tell, but they actually wrapped the entire can of anchovies into the top of the pizza)

So much for time-savings...GRRR!!!

Say Ahhhhhh!

2010-02-28T21:43:00.000-08:00

Gabri, Joel and I spent this afternoon wandering around the Oakland Flea Market. We weren't looking for anything particular, mostly there to get some fresh air and people watch. It's a bit of a lapdog minefield, but once you get passed that you're in for a treat. There's a variety of amazing – and cheap! – mexican food (we had two tamales, a papusa and helado for only $8.00!!!) and where else can you buy your own previously stolen bike for twenty bucks?!!

But nothing could compare to the deal of the day...for the low low price of $2.00 you can enter into the wonderful world of dentistry. Dr. Gabri will be starting his practice tomorrow after playgroup. This week's special will be Root Canals - two for one!

Almost Top Banana

2009-10-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we spent the afternoon enjoying Gabriel and Joel's first Pumpkin Festival experience. The weather, while predicted to be overcast and chilly, was actually blue skies and warm, and the crowd was bigger than I'd ever seen. Gabriel had his first bite of pumpkin pie (and subsequently his first diaper of pumpkin pie) and Joel was able to see first hand what a costume contest was all about.

As kids, we entered with somewhat elaborate costumes and even managed to take home the coveted Grand Prize ribbon as the HMB Keystone Cops! This being Gabriel's 2nd Halloween, I wanted to continue the practice of making his costume, and now that we're back in the bay area I thought it would be fun to start the tradition of entering him in the Pumpkin Festival contest. Plus it was a good excuse to see Uncle Mikey and Aunt Alena.

My plan was to make him a sock monkey and convince Joel to be a Sock Banana.

I bought 2 pairs of socks (most monkeys require 1 pair) and went to work creating the jumpsuit. I was surprised how quickly it took shape (especially since I have no idea how to sew) but when it came time for a fitting there was a bit of a problem...

This kid is way bigger than I realized. How did this happen? It has been months since I cut out lard and bananas from his diet and yet he's somehow managed to quadruple in size right before my eyes.

I can't believe how much he has grown in just one year...

With the sock monkey costume now a certified bust, I resorted to plan B...for Banana. Using three t-shirts and a pair of socks, I whipped together the yellow ensemble in the car on the way the festival. Once we arrived, it was clear his costume was the most amateur of them all, but I was still proud to have made him something--and 100% recycled too!

Standing among a sea of super hero toddlers and pumpkin babies he entered the 0-3 age group. He even managed to resemble a banana for about 3 seconds--the longest he would allow his hat to stay on his head...and apparently that was all the time it took for him to claim Third Place!

We're very proud of our little banana...and hope to have a picture of him actually in his costume by halloween.

mr. turner turns one

2009-09-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Mikey & Alena

2009-08-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter day. Olive in her little yellow dress was so kissables (like lunchables, it needs the "s" at the end)

Brandy Rose Sanders (what up?!) came from Corcoran, Ca. We went to church and then came home. Brandy and Brooke were sucked into the Arizona State spelling bee on the public broadcast channel (So-Young Chung won it) and I had to concede to letting them eat our Easter ham in front of the television.

We spent a nice part of the evening out on the back porch. The weather was terrific.

All in all it was a tremendous Easter.

Oh and there's this little girl...

The Crisco Kid

2009-04-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

I always thought Grocery Outlets were a funny idea because I somehow imagined aisles and aisles of out-of-fashion foods mingling together in self-pity that their labels were sooo last season. It wasn't until recently that I discovered not only do they carry foods with plenty of time before their expiration date, but what a bargain! I suddenly found myself hooked on getting the best deal possible. Sometimes I could walk out of there feeling like I was being paid to shop. And did you know peach halves are the new fruit cocktail?

Unfortunately, I became so swept up in the wonderful world of coupon-less shopping, that I even stopped reading labels. And that's when things went really wrong...

You can imagine my surprise the other day when I went to the pediatrician for Gabriel's 6-month check-up. As usual, he stripped down to his birthday suit (Gabri, not the doctor) to be weighed. "Whoaaa, we've got a hefty fella here" the doctor said as he adjusted the scale to accommodate his portly body. As I watched the numbers climb well into the double digits, I knew he wasn't over-exaggerating.

Apparently his weight does not even register on the charts anymore, and while it is still technically considered the 100th percentile, he has officially thrown the entire baby curve off balance. (NOTE: if you are the parent of a child 6 months or younger, you will be receiving your baby's adjustment notification in the mail any day now.)

Curious as to why this has happened, I went to the cupboard to examine the foods I have been feeding him over the past few days. Lo and behold, the answer was right there on the label...

This officially marks the end of Grocery Outlet shopping for me.

clever

2009-03-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

Photography by Anna Barragan

2009-03-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

Not too shabby...

Move over Seacrest, there's a new host in town!

2009-03-10T22:49:00.000-07:00

This is...

The Top 13 have performed and now it is up to you to decide...

LIL: Nice voice. I didn't like her outfit. Good song, but she can do better.

SCOTT: He is from Scottsdale so I like him. GO AZ!! I Like him for his heart & soul in his songs, he is true to himself every time. I would like to get into more upbeat & exciting songs. I'm sure he can do it. I think he will be in the top 6.

DANNY: Odd looking trying to dance and sing. Paula was dancing crazy with the song. I can't remember what he sang it just sounded like he was yelling out the song.

MICHAEL: I like his singing. He sings from his heart. He will be in the top 6. He is the oil man. Nice guy. I like him.

JASMINE: She is only 17 years old. She was off-key. I don't think she will be back. But maybe she has the teen vote?

KRIS: I don't remember what he sang. Paula just said “the girls love you, you’re sexy.” What's wrong with Paula? It's a singing contest not a show-what-your package-looks-like contest! I'm not too old to enjoy a nice looking guy, but in this show you have to sing too.

ALLISON: If you like the Punk Rock she maybe for you, but not her best I don't think. I don’t care for the new judge. What does she offer to the show or the singers? They don't need her there where did she come from, who does she know? I think it was better with just the three judges.

ANOOP: Sang Beat It. Well he did beat it...to death! It was so bad I couldn't take much more. No he won't be back. If he is, who voted for him? Tell me! They should have not let him move on. I would have picked a better singer than him.

JORGE: He works hard to please everyone. He has a large supportive family. It was a nice song he gives his all. I think the judges were too hard on him tonight. I hope he is back to show them he can sing.

MEGAN: ROCKIN ROBIN? All the Michael Jackson songs and that is the best she can come up with? Save it for karaoke night! She should not be allowed back.

ADAM: BLACK AND WHITE, The best song of the night. WOW! He has got it you bet!! Even his outfit was right and I liked they way he moved on stage. Great Job!! Number 1!!

MATT: Nice job. Hard to follow Adam, but liked his song also. He is #2 in my book.

ALEXIS: She has talent but I’m not sure if she will last. Her outfit was sexy so she could get some votes but it's not Miss Popularity it's a singing contest. That is what everyone has to remember.

Favorites of the Night:
1. Adam
2. Matt
3. Lil
4. Scott
5. Michael
6. Jorge

Stay tuned for next week...Oatsie, OUT!!!

Anna Banana goes fishing

2009-02-28T21:54:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought it was safe to play on the floor...

2009-02-11T18:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary

2009-02-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

February 10, 1973

Is this real life?

2009-02-04T07:08:00.000-08:00

In honor of my recent dental surgery and why I just say no to pain meds...

2008-12-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

Tuesday Night

2008-11-05T14:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday Morning

2008-11-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

It's the Great Pumpkin, Gabri Turner

2008-10-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

yellow onesie: $1.50
fabric paint: $2.99
snoopy dog: $.50
peeing on your costume before halloween: priceless

Introducing Gabriel Irving Turner

2008-09-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

I was born on Tuesday, Sept. 9th at 11:21 am.
I weighed 7 lbs, 12 oz and measured in at a lanky 21 inches.

Here's a picture of my dad kissing me on the head after I was born

And here's a picture of me and Grandma Oatsie.
She likes kissing me too, only her skin is a little softer than Dad's.

So that's a little bit about me. I'm only 6 days old, so there isn't much else to report, but if you want to know more, just ask. I'll be home napping with Mom.

Luna Love

2008-08-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hey us again

to many pictures we realized that Luna needed some love.

the black dog is Buzz

Idaho

2008-08-19T13:06:00.001-07:00

Hello all this is our first Blog

We thought we would share our trip with you.

As for the pictures I hope they go up okay again our first blog.

Alena, Luna, Buzz and I drove to Idaho. Where last year our stay was cut short by a Forest fire. This year we got to enjoy the cabin for a whole uninterrupted week of relaxation (Whiting Style) which means half work half play. The cabin is a cabin. No power No running water except the river next to it. Let's see on our trip we went hiking, we went fishing poor fishies got banged over a rock (part fun , part sad) we chopped wood for the wood stove and fireplace, we made boats to race down the river. Alena twice and Mikey won twice. we played lots of cards and I will not mention who one the most. She cheats. although she claims she does not. still up for debate. Mr Buzz asked Alena to Marry Mikey which made it easy for me. And she said "I guess so" which is better then no. We saw the burned forrest. and new plant growth. we went into town (Ketchum Idaho) and visited Sun Valley. we each read a book and made Smores. which when dipped in milk are amazing. here are some pictures we hope they look okay.

The Red Hatters (Rosemary's first Blog)

2008-06-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

New Update from Chris

2008-06-05T20:16:00.001-07:00

Lots has happened recently and I thought I would blog on the family website to keep everyone up to date. I'm pretty much starting over at this point. I have been looking for a new job. I took a job based in Connecticut in April. I had a hard time working with my boss and we decided that it would be better to not continue. I've had a couple of very positive interviews and am very optimistic in the near future.

I have been in Utah since January (these pictures were taken by Craig Tovey and are in Riverton, UT) I'm enjoying it. I've spent the last five months with a very lovely woman, Brooke Eaton. She and I have visited my parents twice and California once together. She is one of nine children and has 26 nieces and nephews. I'm sure there will be more to post soon.

I'm looking forward to the summer. I'm not sure it'll be in Utah, regardless of where it is I'm optimistic about everything. It's been nice having this family blog and I hope that the rest of the family (honestly Cathy has been the only contributor) will start posting and keeping our fan base of five people happy.

Absolutely ridiculous or pure genius?

2008-05-23T16:09:00.000-07:00

This morning began like any other morning. I woke up, pushed the snooze button. Woke up 9 minutes later, pushed the snooze button again. But as I reached for my third snooze, something magical happened. A sweet, familiar aroma filled the air and oh-so-gently lifted me out of bed, cradling me in delight and curiosity. It filled the hallway as I tracked it all the way down the stairs to the kitchen. There, in a pan on the stovetop, was a flawless disc of golden, pancakey goodness sizzling its little heart out.

“Oh hello” I said to the buttery masterpiece, as it released a tiny bubble of steam from its tanned surface. I think it may have even winked at me.

Most mornings, there would be no time to enjoy this wonderful treat, let alone an entire stack. But like I said, this was something magical. You see, in an attempt to be either ridiculous or genius (you be the judge) our friends at Batter Blaster have invented quite possibly the most useless/greatest invention of all time. Perhaps with a name like Batter Blaster, no further explanation is required, however for those of you who prefer visual demonstrations, please enjoy the following program:

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

2008-05-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

Una niña en el árbol

Dos guacamoles en la calle

Tres amigos en el coche

2008-04-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Movin' on up!

2008-04-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

We went a house huntin' this weekend and found this little gem...
We love it, which is a good thing, because we're moving in this Saturday! The pictures don't quite do the house justice, but don't worry, before long you will be plenty tired of seeing photos of this place...stay tuned!

Does this baby make me look fat?

2008-04-07T18:45:00.000-07:00

Alright, if you haven't heard the news already, we're having a baby (Yes, just one. No, the twins story was just for April Fool's Day. Yes, I'm sorry you got your hopes up about that. No, I can't promise I will never do that again).

While we briefly decided to keep the gender of the baby to ourselves, we're letting you in on it, but only on one condition…you help us figure out what to name it.

The rules are simple: Submit any names you like, but please take it seriously. If you absolutely insist on naming the child "Kermit" or "Brangelina" and in some sort of overly hormonal state I fall madly in love with your submission, you will be invoiced for any future counseling sessions little Kermie or Brangie has to attend in order to cope with the endless playground taunting he will undoubtedly endure. Yes, I said "he", as in it's a boy!

The winner of this contest will receive bragging rights and first dibs on our second born child. Good luck!

Chris Adds a Post

2008-04-02T14:58:00.001-07:00

I’m in Utah and I like it so far. It’s been quite a winter, lots of snow. I work for a Health Benefits Solution provider called Zane Benefits in Park City. My commute is beautiful; I drive up the mountain just east of Salt Lake. Yesterday I saw a moose on right the side of the road. I think he was sleeping. I started living in an apartment in Sugarhouse, which is just south of Salt Lake City but that got too expensive. I now live in a friend’s basement in Riverton. The basement is pretty nice. I can play pool and watch movies on a big pull down screen. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

I went back to California this past weekend and spent time with Mikey. I saw him coach two games in San Mateo and we had San Benito sandwiches on Monday. I wanted to bring an apple strudel home for friends to enjoy (then eat it in my basement room by myself in quiet shame) but the HMB bakery is closed on Mondays. The spring is coming and hopefully my contributions to this blog will be as abundant as the blooming daisies (and just as pleasant to the senses) Please tell your friends about the Barragan Family Blog. It’s a good thing. Good thing.

Surprise, Surprise!

2008-03-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the doctor to have my first official ultrasound (the last one apparently wasn't official in the sense that it didn't show anything important, other than the fact that there was actually something in there, and I wasn't just imagining things).

Along with finding out if everything was okay with the little blob (e.g. it is growing at the right pace, the heart rate is normal, etc.) Joel and I were also hoping to find out if we could expect a boy or a girl. Not that this would change anything. We are not planning to shower the kid in pink or blue, nor will we be planning its life as a professional sports player or ballerina. We mainly wanted to know so that we could more easily narrow down the name selection.

So you can imagine our surprise when the ultrasound technician lady (after squirting way to much jelly on my stomach, I might add) pointed to the monitor and then said the magic words "So here's baby A and here's baby B".

We immediately looked at each other and said "huh??" Apparently our dear little blob has either multiplied or was hiding a friend in there during the last mini ultrasound. And now we have two names to come up with! We did find out the sex of the babies (which we have decided to keep to ourselves just to keep you all in suspense). We will say that they are both the same sex, although it is not yet determined if they are identical or fraternal (apparently only fraternal twins run in families, while identical twins are randomly assigned).

So there you have it. If you would like to get a hold of either of us, feel free. Although please keep in mind we will most likely still be in a state of shock, trying to comprehend what is in store for us in the next 20 weeks. And hoping they don't continue to multiply.

Baby cute face is back

2008-03-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to contribute some more and tell you what I've been up to. I've learned a lot more words and I'm not even two yet (April 26 th) in case you forgot. I have got the greatest dad cause all he does is work and come home and play with me. I'm spoiled. And I love my Oatsie and My Poppa even though he ate half of the peeps I got from the easter egg hunt daddy took me to. Anyway I miss my Uncles and my Aunt and can't wait to see them and look forward to watching the Mets win the world series with my daddy. Love you guys, love Baby Happy Face,

Happy Birthday Dad!

2008-03-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

Nestor's Quote of the Day:
"I'm having peeps and coffee for breakfast!"

Did you remember to call Dad and wish him a happy birthday?
Of course you did. But were you the first to call?
No? Oh well, don't worry, he'll forgive you someday.

Am I the only one checking this blog?

2008-03-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Seriously. Mikey? Dad? Azie? Anyone?
Even the little blob has posted something. What gives?

Don't try this at home. Or work.

2008-03-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

So there I was just minding my own business at work today. It’s Friday, which means it’s quieter than usual, and I can get away with listening to my iPod™ while pretending to be busy. But on this particular Friday, I was particularly bored, so I sought out things to do. And that’s where I went wrong…

I cleaned my office, which took about 2 minutes, including straightening my pens, scissors (two pairs) and rulers (I have five and I don’t know why) in the cup on my desk. I check voicemail, but there wasn’t any. 30 seconds. Then I got a call from someone who wanted some brochures mailed to him. I was super excited about this (yes, I was that bored) because I knew I could stretch this task out for at least 10 minutes.

I grabbed a stack brochures and a large envelope from the counter in the front office. The envelope was much bigger than it needed to be, so I decided to cut it up and wrap the brochures like a gift. Once I had the brochures wrapped up, I reached across my desk for the Scotch® tape and took a strip from the dispenser. With one hand, I held the corners of the package down, and with the other I maneuvered the placement of the tape. The corners of the package started to become a little loose, so I pulled the tape off, placed it in my mouth to free up a hand, and then re-secured the wrapping.

Now, it doesn’t seem like anything unusual has happened yet, right? Well, you might want to stop reading here if you find that you (A) faint easily (B) are under the age of 13, or (C) have a strong belief that lips are meant to stay attached to your face…

As soon as I deemed the wrapping acceptably secure, marveling in my engineering achievements, I released one of my hands from the package and grabbed the tape that was waiting patiently on my lower lip. As I pulled it away, I noticed a sharp, stinging sensation. I figured it was just a little sensitive, but when I looked down at the strip of tape, I noticed that it was now accompanied by a ¼ inch piece of my lip (precisely measured with one of my five rulers). I was shocked, I was in disbelief and I was bleeding like crazy.

I then spent the next hour nursing my lip and accepting pity from anyone who would listen to my tragic tale. In the end this proved to be a great way to keep busy at work, but not something I recommend.

Sweet 16 weeks old

2008-03-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

I may look like a blob now, but I'm drinking my amniotic fluid, and by next week I'll have developed the ability to distinguish bitter and sweet, like the sweet taste of victory my mom enjoys while schooling you all at scrabble.

Baby mean face says read your blog

2008-03-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

This is to everyone new to the blog read it or else you deal with baby mean face
baby mean face loves you :)

2008-03-08T16:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Barragan Family Blog. This blog was created so that the members of the Barragan family, namely Nestor, Rosemary, Chris, John, Cathy and Michael, could post updates about the events of their life. With any luck well get some postings in the near future. As a note, anytime this picture is displayed it will be a general message from the family. As the blog host, Chris Barragan will post any general announcements the family may have. I hope you enjoy this website and I hope that as a family we'll have enough interesting bits and pieces to share with you.

With love,

The Royal Barragans