Going Private

Hey Everyone...the time has come for us to go private with our blog. Sorry for the inconvenience but if you'll send us your email we'll make sure you can still access the latest and greatest from the Matsuda family (that is assuming we eventually post something!). Love to you all, Ammon & Kara

Easter 2009

Some photos we took today on the Dallas Temple grounds. Happy Easter!

Marcus learns to ride before the age of 4!

Our intrepid little athlete continues to amaze us. Marcus learned to ride his bike back in February, and even though a proud papa was right there with the video camera to capture the moment, it has still taken me this long to post the celebrated event. He now rides all over the place on his little toddler bike that probably wasn't meant for such vigorous riding. And I've already had to switch his front and rear tires because he wears down the tread with all of his skid-stops. Notice his proud announcement to our neighbor, Chelsea. Ainsley, you're next!

Latest of little Kale

So we are guilty of the third-baby-never-gets-any-photos-taken syndrome now that we've got Kale, which does a great injustice to the rest of the world because Kale is just the cutest baby. (no really, not just coming from a biased dad) :)

A great 2008!

Well, three months late I am finally posting a slideshow of some of our favorite 2008 photos. Some we posted as the year progressed, but it's been fun to look back at the memories. Hope you enjoy them!

If you could see us now...

What do you get when you mix a Disney princess with Punky Brewster? Ainsley! Our favorite thing about Ainsley right now is the way she's mirroring our positive efforts on her behalf. Every love note and kind gesture we make is returned in the sweetest, most heart-melting way only a five-year-old can. We love you Ains!


Marcus is our Mr. Personality. He entertains everyone wherever he goes. We are especially proud of him for becoming visible at preschool again (as opposed to being invisible for the last few months) and learning to ride his bike without training wheels.


Kale is the apple of everyone's eye in our family. We all want a turn kissing his sweet cheeks and have to restrain ourselves from taking a bite out of him. He humors us in all things as demonstrated here in this dump truck ride.

True Story

So today while we were out and about we came across one of those crazy things that you have to see to believe. Naturally we did not have a camera with us. It was an old hearse from the 70s painted bright yellow with a black leather cab on top. As if that wasn't strange enough, there was one of those fake arms stuck in the side door. Talk about morbid! But were our little ones freaked out? No! Marcus walked right up to the car, shook the hand, and said "Nice to meet you!"

Christmas Eve

Have you ever seen two children sit so nicely at the dinner table? We haven't at our house! They were taking advantage of every last second to be good before Santa left the North Pole...

Making traditional German "S" cookies to put out for Santa. Boy did he like them! (So did we!)

First ever Christmas pageant guest starring Danny Griffith as shepherd/King Herrod and Ashley Griffith as angel/wiseman. Ammon narrated and I played a wiseman as well. Ainsley was the perfect Mary, of course. And Kale didn't even cry during his portrayal of baby Jesus. Marcus, however, took the cake as a sword swinging Joseph. He was not about to let King Herrod get away with his nasty plot! And apparently Joseph picks his nose and eats it too.

Egg Nog recipe

Beat together:

1/2 gallon whole milk
2 cans sweet & condensed milk
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Whip until stiff:

1 pint whipping cream

In each cup, fold whipping cream into milk mixture. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Be the hostess with the mostest. Enjoy!

Not so quick now, Jerry, are ya?

We've had a mouse living in our garage for the past few weeks. For a while, I wasn't sure if he actually lived in it or just had his meals there. Frustrated that our pest control service wasn't in business over Thanksgiving weekend (come on, people, where's the customer service?!?), I took matters into my own hands. Below is my mousetrap, designed thanks to a YouTube video, and the last meal enjoyed by our mouse, nicknamed Jerry by the kids (Tom and Jerry is the new favorite TV show). It consists of a free-rotating soda can with peanut butter as bait, suspended over a tub of water accessible by a ramp. Worked like a charm. (I'll spare you a photo of Jerry)