Our Family Blog

2009

2010-01-25T22:43:00.000-08:00

OK, well I've been very deliquent...but to make up for it I made a slide show with pics througout the entire year. I hope you enjoy. We are enjoying our growing family. Sami is great and Jacob amazes us everyday with how he changes. Ethan is doing well in 5th grade and we enjoy watching him play soccer, which Jason coaches. I got back to work in a few days, so we're getting ready for a big adjustment...again.

It's been a while!

2009-06-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

We have been swamped, but I realized we havent been maintaining this blog well. We will begin to get more disciplined with the posting.

We found out that we are having a baby GIRL! Tuesday we found out about the good (and petrifying) news! Baby is healthy, mommy is doing well with sugars, and the Dr. is happy!

We are heading to Cancun next Friday for a week and taking both the boys. Ethan is super excited and we cant wait!

Work is going well, fairly busy, and beginning to plan for Fall Soccer! I will be coaching Ethan's U11 Rec team most likely.

Well, we are very excited to hear from you!

Summer is here!

Jason, Suzi, Ethan, Jacob + Baby Girl (not named yet ;) )

Halloween Treat!!!

2009-03-17T22:03:00.001-07:00

Baby Jewett - 2009!

Suzi's first ultrasound of the future addition to our family.

End of October I think is the due date, or thereabouts.

We are excited!!

Jacob and Ethan are both excited, while Ethan wants another brother. I think he just wants a soccer team eventually. Both boys are doing great! Jacob is growing up fast. His words are coming together, and he is very attached to his big brother. Today at soccer practice (Ethans U10 team I am coaching), he was screaming BABA (brother) after he kissed and hugged Ethan goodbye...he cried all the way back to the car....it was sad. Ethan comes over tomorrow and Jacob will be at the bus waiting for him. Ethan and I will be visiting my dad this weekend, while Suzi is going with Jacob to Colorado for a baby shower. Ethan and I will invite some people over to have a "Wii" dude night! Guitar Hero is our latest game of choice, although the Star Wars Jedi game is a close second. Well, we wanted to share the family news!

Jacob

2009-02-26T23:05:00.000-08:00

This boy is growing up too fast. Actually I have had two different people think he is beginning to look a little like me now as he gets older. He is such a big boy now. Suzi got a good picture of him today as they were bird hunting (a bird was smacking into the window and trying to peck his way into the house in the back).

Ethan and iMovie

2009-02-25T21:49:00.000-08:00

We have been exploring making movies on the iMac and getting familiar with the software. Ethan's first movie.

Jacob in the tub.

2009-02-22T23:19:00.000-08:00

Ethan Soccer Game and Guitar hero

2009-02-22T23:12:00.000-08:00

Hi there. Its been a while since we have posted in our blog. Family is doing great. Jacob is growing like a weed, Ethan is having a blast with soccer and Suzi is wonderful as always. Suzi had a womens church conference Friday night and Saturday. I took the boys to buy Guitar Hero Friday night, and we stopped off at Pho Tango for dinner. Great Vietnamese noodle soup! Saturday we drove to Eugene for Ethan's soccer game. That was fun. The home team was very good. Ethan's team chalked up its first lost, but I was really proud of Ethan stepping up and being more aggressive with the ball. Sunday we went to church and spent the afternoon laughing together as we all tried playing drums and guitar on Guitar Hero. What fun!

Winter '08-09

2009-01-30T23:07:00.000-08:00

Man - here we are the end of January '09! Can you belive it?

Our lives keep rolling on and the boys keep growing. I put together some pics of them from Christmas since we haven't done that much posting lately.

Jacob is a crazy running ball of joy. He is starting to talk quite a bit lately - has about 50-60 words and tries more every day - today's new word was balloon. He doesn't say 2 at a time yet, but he will sign one and say one. It is so cute to see him be proud of a new accomplishment and I cherish his smile.

Today was a big day - he ate whole rice, chicken pices and corn!!! While this may seem normal for other 19 month olds, he hasn't wanted to eat 'food' unless it is ground up. He likes peanut butter or cheese on toast and loves crackers, but real food has only been eaten ground up. So we are pretty excited about this past week - tater tots and chicken pieces on Wed and this rice mix that was sent home from school tonight! Go Jacob:)

Jason is currently in Japan. Between the two of us, we've had quite a busy December and January. I went to China twice and now Jason is gone. So, work is keeping us busy, but it's good. We thank God for our jobs and the blessings he has given as we see co-workers loosing their jobs. So far we have not been notified of any job changes - there will be a total of 6000 people leaving Intel this year, so it's a hard time and my heart breaks for those effected by the economy.

Ethan is doing great and is playing alot of soccer, which is fun. He's enjoying it and is doing well in school. He is the best big brother and I love seeing the two of them together. It is really special. Jacob just loves him and now everytime he sees a school bus he says Ba-Ba (we get Ethan from the bus on Wednesday afternoons). It's cute.

I think that's all for the update. Enjoy the pics.

Happy New Years - 2009

2009-01-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

The Jewett Family wants to extend best wishes to all our family and friends in 2009! We love all of you and are blessed to have you in our lives.

Snow and Christmas Update - Part I

2008-12-30T20:54:00.000-08:00

Well, its been a while, but I thought I would update the family blog. First, the week before Xmas week, we had a very abnormal winter weather storm that left the streets with snow and icy conditions, making it very difficult for people to get out and cancelled school the whole week. Day care was cancelled as well, and lets say....Jason (I) worked from home and had a sitter come over in the mornings to assist Jacob-sitting while I had meetings etc. It really helped out. Ethan spent the first part of Xmas break with us and it was awesome. Suzi's parents came out the Thursday before Xmas, and stayed for 8 days or so. Ethan and Grampy worked on a snow fort and a huge (8 foot) snowman....We had over 2 feet accumulation. I had cabin fever, and so, I drove into Forest Grove...let me tell you CHEVY TAHOE's are excellent in the snow and ice....no chains. I was so impressed, I decided to pull a neighbor out of the middle of the street (she was in her benz with no chains, silly girl!)...we had a blast depending on that SUV. It got us everywhere....with Grampy, milk was gone daily, so I had to make grocery runs constantly - ha ha. We really were blessed with a great time with family and it really was awesome having Ethan home!!! He is such a great kid and Jacob and Ethan are inseparable......stay tune for Part II of Xmas posting...coming soon to a web link near you!

New iPOD User

2008-12-15T23:02:00.000-08:00

Self explanatory...this kid is an APPLE follower.

Winter Snow Day

2008-12-15T22:58:00.000-08:00

No school for Ethan today. Yesterday we drove to church and it started to snow. On the way home we relished in the drive...it was awesome. Ethan played all day in the snow with the neighbors and I brought Jacob out to check it out. Ethan and his friend Gracen were building a snow brick (using the recycling bin to make snow bricks) fortress. It is two bricks high and awaiting Ethans return Wed (as it may snow more!). Jacob was cautious about his exploration of the 20 degree weather!

Ethan - 10 years old

2008-12-15T22:55:00.000-08:00

After 1 month, I finally have downloaded some pics. These are from Ethans Bday dinner at Benihana...one of his favorite spots....Go Hibachi Chicken!

Oklahoma Retirement or America's Premiere Travel Spot

2008-12-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. We just got back from Oklahoma for 8 days. We went to Suzi's cousins wedding (Curtis) , Thanksgiving Dinner, and Grandma's 80th birthday party. What a great chapter in my life. I love Oklahoma. Suzi's family is great! Some of the highlights one may encounter on the farm:

- Sausage and Bacon every day for breakfast (yum!)

- Feed the cattle with Grandpa
- Go to the Elevator (Co-op - Grain Silos), chit chat with farmers about Obama, Wheat Futures, Cattle, Sesame, Crops, GM, Ford, Weather, Soil and more wheat futures. Famous Phrase : "Roy, you should of sold at $8.63 / bushel)

- Go back to house and play cards.

- Eat Lunch and plenty of PIE!

- Take nap, play cards, walk outside on the farm...take Jacob to the wheat field.

- Go to the elevator (repeat from above), find that the Wheat Futures went up or down.

- Get Gas.

- Go to Watonga, hang out with some of the same farmers and some new ones...swat flies, drink lots of coffee....talk about Obama, GM, Wheat Futures, Stock Market, Computers, Intel, Soil, Crops, the government.....play a game of guess the number...if you guess it...you pay for everyones coffee....13 people one day....

- Come home, have dinner, + lots of PIE....

- Talk with family, enjoy each others company and play some more cards...

It was awesome! I have included some pics....I am sure Suzi will post as well....

Maybe I could retire there!!!

iPhone ^2

2008-11-10T22:42:00.000-08:00

Well, for our 4 year anniversary (for those who don't know - it is Nov 7th), we discussed the option of improving our communication, our productivity, and our geek abilities. We came up with...

iPhones

Suzi really likes her phone, but was a little leary at first. But now, she is calling me more than she used too...hmmm......

I better buy more Apple products! I am trying to figure this thing out, but I have some cool app's.....No wonder Apple has $25 Billion in CASH!! It really is handy....I think writing APP's can be a lucrative biz.

Sabbatical is OVER

2008-10-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

I've been back to work 2 weeks now. I was thinking the other day, it has been a while since we've posted, the time has FLOWN by the past 5 weeks.

So, what have we been up to?

4 weeks ago, we were blessed with the opportunity to volunteer at The Community House which is in South Portland about 45 minutes from our house. It is a home for young women who get pregnant and don't have support (family, spouse, etc...) They pay for everything for the girls and help them learn the skills to keep the baby or put the baby up for adoption. We helped paint, build shelves, power wash the house, pick weeds, Goodwill trips, etc. It was a great experience.

The next week I took a class for the Program Management Professional Certification and then took the class. Jason did lots of yard work, planted some trees and cleaned up a bit. That weekend Lisa, Jason's sister, and Brody, our nephew, came up for Brody's 1st B-day. Jacob and Brody had a good time together, but I think Jacob has already assumed the bully 'older' cousin. Brody wasn't so happy with him - especially when he ripped his binkie out of his mouth.

Jason went back to work the next week and I had my free week to clean the garage and clean out the boy's clothes. All sort of fun stuff. We even got a great day to have a sprinkler party in the front yard before fall started.

Then I went back to work and am already planning my next trip to China...in 2 weeks! Crazyness. But I'm liking being back at work.

Jason liked being back at work so much, he decided to have back surgery today! Just kidding, we've planned it for a month or so. His MRI was looking worse now than before his last surgery 1.5 yrs ago. He was hurting alot so we just needed to get it done. They surgery went well and his spinal fluid sac stayed in tact this time, so the recovery is already better. He'll come home tomorrow. Thanks to all who have been praying for him. We are anxious to see how the pain is next week. I'm praying he will feel much better and actually be able to sleep.

Ethan is really coming into his prime in soccer and we have been really pushing being aggressive. It's been super fun to watch him develop. He's doing the choir at church and is due for a limo ride at school for his fundraising efforts. So, he's having fun.

Jacob is crazy, it is so much fun, he is climbing all over everything and is saying new words every day both verbally and in sign language. His newest words are Thank You and Bath. He started ball, cracker, milk, more, shoes, socks, cheese, please, bye bye, nye nye over the past few weeks, it is so cute! He is so smart.

This past weekend Jacob and I went to Colorado for a football game with my awesome sorority sisters. It was so much fun. We got to spend time with Tob and Tam and with my parents. They had a great time being Grammie and Grampie and he loved being with them.

OK, I think that's it for the update - sorry for the long blog. Just so much to say!

Jacob's First Haircut

2008-09-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

BOO HOO! The time finally came to have to cut Jacob's hair. He had these cute little 'wings', but the killer was his hair getting into his eyes. So, Christina, his day care provider, who used to be a hair cutter, cut it today.

Before:
During:
After:

He also turned 15 months old yesterday, so I guess it's a time for some major milestones. First off, he said nye-nye the night before last for the first time, as he was crawling up the stairs to walk to bed, the whole thing is totally amazing to me. We ask him if he's ready for nye-nye and he walks to the fence and tries to open it. We change have some milk and lay him in bed and off he goes, it's so nice! Speaking of bed time routines, tonight was the first night with out bottle, so we are now BOTTLE FREE!! Go Jacob.

He loves shoes and bikes and his push cars lately, it's so fun to see his playing develop. He will play by himself for 15-20 minutes at a time, it's cool just to watch him. He seems to be so smart, but I'm sure everyone's children seem amazingly smart to them:) He also loves to sweep and vacuum, hopefully that will continue.

The other day, he found Ethan's shin guards and brought them to me to put on, he sat down and put out his leg, he knew where they went, so I put them on and he walked around the house for a few hours looking like a hockey goalie, it was funny.

Ehtan's soccer game was awesome this past weekend, they did great, and Ethan was super aggressive and amazing. We are really enjoying the games.

Tomorrow we start our volunteering at Community House - which is a house for single pregnant women. We will be doing whatever is needed - I'll send updates, we're excited to do some service.

Cancun Paradise

2008-09-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

Well, we had to return from Paradise:) Jason and I spent 8 days in Cancun at an all-inclusive adults only resort. It was so nice to be waited on and have no real schedule, we really enjoyed the recharging. The resort was awesome, the food was fantastic and the drinks were great. There are 5 other hotels in the area with the same resort so we toured the other hotels and their restaurants. There was a Teppanyaki Restaurant (where they do all the Japanese food cooking right in front of you), amazing Italian, great steak and Mexican food. We didn't get to the Brazilian restaurant. They also have great shows and activities every night, one show was like Cirque de Soliel another was a variety show with Michael Jackson which was pretty good.

We took a few tours - to Chitzen Itza and Tulum which are Mayan Ruins. Tulum is right on the coast with a beautiful beach. It was really interesting to learn about the Mayan culture. We also did a Zip Line tour which was fun - 10 different zip trips.

We took the local bus downtown Cancun and to get to the other resorts. One night after dinner the local bus driver ran a red light and got pulled over by the police, but no "boletas" (tickets), that was a funny experience.

We were also blessed to meet many great couples enjoying their time together and many honeymooners.

And the most amazing thing - we got to see 3 sea turtles make their way to the beach, walk around and lay eggs (well we actually only saw 1 lay her eggs - it's a 2 hr experience). They came up starting around 11:30 pm. Then at 12:30, we got to release 300 little baby sea turtle hatchlings that had hatched in the hotels nesting area that day. The resort company has a foundation that saves the eggs laid by the mamas and puts them in a safe nest and when they hatch they release them late at night to try to save them from the birds and other predators. They are so cute and small - about the size of the palm of your hand including the little flippers.

So, we loved the experience so much we purchased a membership to the resort and we plan on going back yearly. There are options in Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Riviera Maya and Dominican Republic. If anyone is interested in going, we have alot of weeks we can use - just let us know. There are great kids clubs at the kid resorts so we are excited to bring the boys back.

Hurricane Ike was going through our first 4 days, but even with that, we had a great time and managed to get some serious sun every day. Some were a bit windy, but we made it!!

Check out the pics below for some fun.

Sabbatical Trip Post #6 - Trip Wrap Up

2008-09-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

We are back at home - we got here Monday afternoon. And while it is nice ot be home, we are missing the great family time we had together. Ethan loved life in the camper and really started coming out of his shell the last week - it was a blessing to experience. I think Jacob is glad to be home and have more room to run around and play, but misses digging in the dirt - we will have to invest in a sand box.

Our last day in Florence, we went crabbing and caught many crabs, but only 1 keeper, we cooked it in the camper with some fresh organic corn and potatoes, it was a fantastic meal. Below are some pics.

A wrap up summary for those that are interested.

Miles traveled - 3850

Average MPG - 9

Hours Driving - 65

National Parks Visited - 5

States Visited - 5

Highest Elevation - 9800 ft

Lowest Elevation - -192 ft

Activites - Horse Back Riding, ATV Riding, Fishing, Crabbing, Boating, Biking, Swimming, Reading, Hiking, Photography, Journaling

3 weeks with your family - priceless.

Sabbatical Trip Post #5

2008-08-31T10:35:00.000-07:00

We are back in Oregeon! And back to the cloudy skys - although we are happy to be in our home state, we will definitely miss the sunny skys.

For those that were praying for safe travels, thank you so much. The long day on Friday was 14 hrs. The boys did wonderful - we started at 3:45 am so that helped them sleep the first 4 hrs. All along the CA coast, the driving was good and Jason was able to relax a bit, but as soon as we got to OR, the winds picked up and we were right on the coast line, so the driving was very slow and very difficult for Jason, but again he did great. We even drove over the Golden Gate Bridge - admitantly, that was not teh best decision and we are very glad we were there at 6am. But it was fun. We were relived to get to the other side though!

We are staying in Florence, which is home to the Oregon Dunes, so there are dune buggies and ATV's starting on the dunes behind us at 6am and going till late night, but it is cool. Jason and Ethan rented ATV's yesterday and had a good time playing around. Today we are going to go crabbing - we'll see how the crabs like the 'seafood delight' cat food and the chicken legs we bought them.

Below are some pics from Monterey and from yesterday with Ethan and Jason on ATV's. The simulator pics are us driving in a convoy in Iraq. The shooting range is all simulated as well, it was pretty sweet. The pics of the boys are at the Monterey aquarium and Ethan playing super heros with his cousin Justin. I have also included some beach pics and some action photos of Jason looking for his wedding ring in Santa Cruz. The one of Jacob in the trailer is funny to me, he is finding all these funny positions to hang out in.

Sabbatical Trip Post #4 - Trip Bummers

2008-08-28T22:43:00.000-07:00

Well, today I decided I finally have to post a bummer. But first let me start off with the past few days. We are in Monterey, CA and have really enjoyed it. The weather has been great - a bit chilly, but really nice. And we have been so blessed to spend time with Jason's sister Lisa and her family - Mark, Justin (5 yrs) and Brody (10 mo). WE have gone to great dinners and had the priveledge of Mark cooking for us (he is a chef). Lisa works at the Presido (army training place) and she showed us the simulator shooting range and the simulator convoy area - amazing technology for training our troops. We also went with Lisa and the boys to the Monterey Aquarium and had a great time. Even Jacob went crazy and loved the touch pools and things for little people.

Tomorrow we are up at 3am to drive to Florence for our last stop on the trip. We are waking up early to avoid the San Fran trafic and to capitolize on some sleeping time for the boys since we will have about a 12 hr day.

OK, so now for the bummers. We have had a few hicupps along the way, but so far we have been able to get over them pretty easily. God has definitely been watching over us.
1) The hitch we had installed to put our bike rack on the back of the trailer came unwelded from the trailer bumper - luckily it didn't come completely off before we noticed it, the bikes were just sagging. So, we had to put the rack in George and put the bikes in Harry when we travel. No biggie
2) Jason accidentally hit a truck when he was parking Harry in a really tight spot in Avala beach - all that happened amazingly enough is the license place got tore off so he got some new plastic plugs and put the plate back on.
3) We have leared that Harry is just WAY too long for George to pull safely - Jason has done an amazing job of being attentive and on super-point as we drive. A few times the winds and passing vechicles have sent us 3-4 feet across the road. We deciede to take Hwy 101 back for our long trip tomorrow to avoid so many cars and the high winds we experienced on I-5

But the bummer of all bummers that we cannot easily fix is that Jason decided to 'donate' his wedding ring to the waves of Santa Cruz today:( So for a $500 reward, if you want to do some treasure hunting on Santa Cruz beach let us know. The ring just washed off his finger when a wave hit him. He tried to dig in the sand and waves for almost 2 hrs, but wasnt' able to find it. To those that know Jason's ring, it was his 'crown' and was of course very special to him (not to mention it was a bit more pricy than the average mens ring!). So we are both sad, but things like this happen, so we'll file an insurance claim when we get home and see what we can do I guess.

Even with the bummers, we are having an amazing time and have been so blessed to have this wonderful family time together and see our beautiful country.

Sabbatical Trip Post #3

2008-08-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it to the coast of CA! We are in Availa Beach - near San Luis Obispbo - where Jason went to school. Yesterday we hung at teh beach and Jacob loved the sand and the waves, it was fun! The drive here went well. I think Jacob is getting a little tired of the car, but he is hanging on. Ethan is doing great as well and said he could do this forever!

Today we have a 2 hr drive to Monterey to spend time with Lisa - Jason's sister.

I finally got some pics to upload. If you don't want go through the whole slide show, you can click on the link at the bottom to 'see all slides' and you can see whatever you want. Enjoy!

Sabbatical Post #2

2008-08-20T23:13:00.000-07:00

We've made it to Las Vegas - almost 1/2 way through our trip. After Lake of the Springs Campground, we went to Modesto to show Ethan where Jason grew up. We stayed at one of Jason's friends parents house and had a wonderful time visiting with them. They recently installed a pool so they boys enjoyed swimming late night and early morning in the 100+ heat.

After Modesto, we headed to Yosemite National Park. If you haven't had a chance to go there, I highly reccomend it as a must do! It is gorgeous and super fun. We enjoyed biking around the valley (Jacob in the trailer). There is paved bike paths over alot of the valley, so it was a great way to check it out. Our campground was right on the Merced River and Ethan enjoyed rafting down a man-made little canal in the river - I did some floating too which was fun. Jacob continued to enjoy getting really dirty all the time! We drove up to Glacier point to overlook the entire valley and we able to marvel at God's creation. On the way out of Yosemite, we drove through the East entrance and saw another beautiful side of Yosemite - massive granite boulder and fields and domes of the granite, so unique and amazing!

From Yosemite we went to Bishop, CA to visit Jason's Dad and Step-mom. They are camp hosts at a lake at 9000 ft - Sabrina Lake - for the summer. It was a great campground on a creek. They treated us to a great day on a pontoon boat on the lake to do some serious fishing. 3 fish were caught an 1 kept, but at the end of the day we could have all cared less on how many fish were caught. We had a great time in the boat. Jacob loved fishing and driving and walking around the boat. Ethan loved catching 2 of the 3 fish and driving the boat. Jacob even took a nap. The terrain around the lake and Bishop was different again, we have loved seeing it all.

This morning we headed to Las Vegas through Death Valley National Park - the terrain here was super varied again and we all understand why they call it Death Valley - 107 degrees and nothing around. We had a major pass to go over which made us a bit nervous in George (we finally named the Tahoe), but with only 1 stop we made up the 5000 ft elevation gain and then back down to -190 ft.

Tonight we are staying with my counsin Lindsay, enjoying good conversation and appreciating a real bed and laundry.

Sorry for no pics again - we will have a big post I promise after the Grand Canyon (0ur next stop).

Sabbatical Trip Post #1

2008-08-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

We've made it to California. We are at a Thousand Trails camp just south of Chico, CA. We spent the day playing in the lake, watching Ethan do paddle boat races, doing bumper boats and swimming in the pool. Jacob loved playing in the lake and on the beach. He even liked the bumper boats - especially when he and Dad were hitting Mo & Ethan.

Before we came here, we were at Crater Lake, OR for 2 nights. We all loved it and thought it was beautiful. Unfortunately the boat dock was broken, so we couldn't go to the island. We did our first hike with Jacob in the back pack and that was an interesting experience - I didn't realize I needed to do more 'training' for our sabbatical! But we made it up the side of the crater. Jacob loved camping here - he was eating durt and was brown within 1 hr of arriving at the site. When he is in the trailer and anyone is outside, he gets mad - just wanting to go outside, it's cool to see him enjoying it so much

The drive has gone well - exept if you're George the Tahoe - he is not liking all the hills, so we are going to take him to Chevy tomorrow to make sure we're not abusing him too bad. He hasn't had any problems, we just want to make sure he doesn't have any! Jacob is doing well with the driving, but has had limited naps lately, so we're trying to have some consistency (however you do that traveling 3600 miles in 3 week, i haven't quite figured out yet!). Jason is doing the driving and has hit a few espresso stops, which we are documenting of course! The trailer is a bit squirly especially on the major highways so it isn't easy driving, he is doing great. He even drove it around Crater Lake counter clockwise - which was too scary for me - no guard rails and a major cliff about 1 ft away. I think was is nearly in tears the entire 5 miles of badness!

And of course blogger won't work for me to add pics, so I will have to do that another time - sorry!

We Made It!

2008-08-08T20:52:00.001-07:00

Well, after working for over 7 years at Intel, both Jason and I have started our first sabbatical. What does that mean for those of you who don't live in Intel speak? It means we have a 8 week paid vacation!

To be honest, I'm a little scared as I contemplate what life will be like without work for 8 weeks. But I'm positive by the time I get to 2 weeks I will wonder why they don't give us 10 weeks!

So, you ask what will you be doing with your time? Well, that's not hard to fill.

As many know, we bought Harry our travel trailer a few months ago in anticipation of our sabbatical. So we will start Sunday by doing a 3 week road trip with both boys. We are going to visit yosemite, grand canyon, monterey, crater lake, florence....we estimate 3500 miles and over 70 hours of driving! We'll see how the boys do!

Then we will come home and Jason will finish his MBA and gradutate the first weekend of September.

Then Jason and I will be leaving the boys at home and heading to a resort just outside of Cancun, Mexico for 9 days.

Then we want to do some service projects in Portland.

Jason's last week will be spent cleaning the garage and planting trees and relaxing. I will be getting my program managers certification. Don't worry, I will have a week after that to have my last week of relaxation.

So, that's what we're up to. And I'm sitting here watching the opening ceremonies for the olympics, which is always my favorite time of the year - woohoo!

We Made It!

2008-08-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

Jacob's 1st B-Day Party

2008-08-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

It was a few weeks ago, but the pictures are still cute! I meant to do this while I was in China for 2 weeks, but didn't get it done...obviously.

We had a 1st B-Day party for Jacob on July 12th. It was a baby pool party and he had many friends over to enjoy the pools. We had a great pool for the little ones, a bigger pool and a biggest pool, so everyone was happy. We even filled them with hot water to ensure fun!

I made a fish cake and a boat cake, which I must admit turned out pretty cool. My mom and I had a great time making them. Jacob even ate all his fish cake this time - we leared to entice him with cheese and to not put on icing!

Jacob also had his first kiss with his friend McKenzie Tracy - I was thinking he was going in for a big push and a bite, but he ended up with a big hug and a kiss. You can see me below trying to seperate them:) I think he really likes her. The other day we were playing and i was holding both of them, he started blushing and getting all embarassed, then broke out a big hug again. Gonna have to watch those two.

Jacob is One and other Fun!

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

Wow! Well, we passed the major milestone and are still kicking! I've made a slide show of some of the fun that we've been up to the past few weeks.

Jacob turned 1 on June 20th. The day of we took a cool lego cake to his school to share with his friends - he didn't like the cake, but his friends did. The only bummer was that after frosting the cake for 2 hours it melted in the car, so we really had 'slimy lego' cake - but hey, it's the thought that counts, right! I knew i should have taken a picture the night before!

After the party at school we headed to Seattle for Jason's cousin's wedding. Amy was beautiful and the wedding was great. We visited the Boeing Air Museum, that's a pretty neato place, tons of stuff to see.

Before the 20th we had the great opporturnity to go to Colorado for 5 days (that is a rare occasion). We got to spend time with Laura and Zach and Maddox and Jacob officially took off walking. Before that day, 8 steps had been his record, but when he saw all of Maddox's toys, he was OFF. By the next day he was at 43 steps and after taht we stopped counting. It was amazing. Thanks Maddox for having cool toys!

Then we spent the rest of the time with my Family. Ethan got to drive my Dad's Bronco which was pretty sweet for him. He also got to see a little brown bear walk through our driveway. We got introduced to my Brother's Lake Shack - his RV set up with all the fixin's at his little lake. We had a great time playing in the lake and skiing, wakeboarding and surfing - yep, you read it right. See the pics!

So back to the present. Jacob is walking all the time now, which is nice for his 2+ hr naps since he's so tired. He's also started some nice temper tantrums when things don't go his way, so that interesting to experience:) I haven't captured those on camera yet, i'm sure it would make him more mad becuase then he would want the camera and I wouldn't give it to him, so that would be horrible! Little funny guy. When he's not having his 1 tantrum a day he is a hoot. He is saying Duck very well and yesterday finally started doing the sign language for more and is trying to say it. He's more cuddly (giving hugs and definitely is a mama's boy). I don't mind that. He's learning what is in every drawer and how it all looks on the floor and doesn't appreciate the child locks on some cabinets.

Yesterday he went to his first birthday party for a 'girlfriend' - Katavia who is 10 days younger had her party yesterday so Jacob and his 5 girlfriends from Mom's group played at Gymboree, it was cute, he was all over the place.

Well, i think I've written a book now, sorry to drag on, just had some major catching up to do. Enjoy the pics.

Jacob's First Strawberry!

2008-06-26T00:39:00.000-07:00

Well, this was too cute to pass up. Suzi rushed to the car to get the camera. At tonights Forest Grove farmers market, Jacob sampled his first fresh strawberry....and yes...it got all over the place. What a beautiful night for a farmers market!

13 Days and Counting

2008-06-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well, we are on the count down for the 1 year birthday - can you believe it? And Ethan is nearly a 4th grader - I'm too young for all this! I'm sure the common parent theme that will haunt me the rest of my known life.

Jacob is getting more adventurous every day, I find him across the room walking along the wall with no problem and he quickly crawls from one place to another then has learned to pull himself up on a few things, so he's up and around the couch over to the windows and back again in a matter of seconds. It's amazing. Jason was amazed when he got back from Isreal the progress he had made. Still no independent steps w/o us around, but he'll let go of the couch and walk the few steps to us when he wants. Very fun. Along with the craziness is learning how to diaper a 24 lb crazy baby upside down while crawling. This is something I've yet to completely master!

13 days till the big day. And along with that comes requests for what a 1 yr old likes, so, if you are one of those family members who needs to know what he likes, here's a list of things that Jacob is currently into, or things I think he will be into.

Things that stack/nest together
Things that make noise (unforturnately for us)
Things that roll
Alphabet stuff
Music
Wooden blocks/shapes w/o paint so he can chew and stuff on them
He does NOT need any 12 month clothes, if you want to get clothes, please get 18 month and above! He may need a few 12-18 month pajamas.
Anything mom and dad:) (computer, cell phone, etc...) unfortunately you can't substitute those.

We will be in Seattle for his big day, but we plan on doing a little party at his school before we head to Seattle. We will also have a little pre-party in Colorado this coming weekend. The we will have a proper party at our house on the 12th so all his little friends (mostly girls) can come in their bathing suits and we will have a baby pool party with a few baby pools in the back yard. Should be very cute! I can't wait to see the girls in their swimsuits!! Adults can bring thier suits too, but it could get crowded in the pools!

We will post some pics from CO when we return. We are excited to see friends, go swimming, have no rain, have warm weather, go boating with Tob & Tam and see Grammie and Grampie.

Speaking of weather, I have to take the opportunity to complain! This 50 degrees and rainy in June is killing me this year. It is so cold. I can't wait to have warm weather. Jacob will have outgrown all his summer gear before summer gets here! Pray for warmth in Portland before I start thinking I live in the North Pole. When we go for runs, I have to put a hat and gloves and a big quilt on Jacob (in JUNE!), this is crazy. Ok, I feel better now.

Have a great week.

Israel Dinner with Friends

2008-05-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

Adi (a previous Intel planar engineer, now ST Microelectronics/Intel JV - Nuemonyx) picked me up with her boyfriend Daniel (another F28 engineer who works in Intel Labs with SEM/TEM work). They took me to a great place, that I cannot pronounce (along with the wonderful food we had). We had a great time...started with some bread with different dippings, and a liver spread..beets...pickles...tomatoes....Adi had a beef meatball and rice dish, Daniel had a beef stew with couscous, and I had chicken schnitzel with rice.....what a wonderful meal! For desser, a chocolate crunch dish and a custard like dish with cherry sauce! Spectacular with a doubleshot of espresso! We talked about the world politics, levels of Jewish belief, Oil, Intel, and I learned that my meal was Kosher. Daniel....extreme gratitude for your wonderful humor and your acceptance of my new Hebrew word (I made up). Its a combination of "Shalom" + "Sababa", which means cool...it is now = " Shababa"......Thank you Adi and Daniel for your hospitality and friendship......

Tel Aviv - Israel Days 1&2

2008-05-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

Hi there from Tel Aviv. It is warm here...not unpleasant...just humid and about 85-90. Friday and Saturdays are "the weekend", and Shabat for the jewish begins with a certain time printed in circulation (like tides) and followed to the minute. In Tel Aviv, the beach sand is nice (hot) and is covered with umbrellas and people playing sand games, laying out, smoking, eating, swimming in the incredibly warm sea. I got in on Friday around 6pm. I quickly rushed to the beach and fell asleep on a towel for 1hr. It was nice, about 75 at that time, not too bad...and the nap was great! I walked around the beach promenade a bit, walked about 3-5 miles throughout the city, and landed at an ice cream shope right on the beach! Wow, was that good! After sleeping only 4 hrs, I woke up and had breakfast, very good assortment at the Sheraton! Again, walked around looking for suntan lotion, sunglasses, and airborne (thought I had a cold coming on). Found all of that - dont ask about the exchange rate...3.3 sheckels to the dollar, meaning the suntan lotion was about $30! Things are very expensive here in Israel currently, and the dollar is weaker than ever. I visited Old Jaffa today as well, and got super burnt! I am a lobster (post to follow). I am missing my family...called the clan and they are doing well.

Boston, Crawling, Walking and other Tricks

2008-05-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I see Jason beat me to a post, but I figured I should do some 'back-blogging' to catch up on all the crazyness we have go going on.

First order of business is Boston - We went 2 weeks ago to Boston for Jason's Graduation (he's not done till Sept - don't start celebrating yet!). It was beautiful and we really enjoyed visiting the Babson campus in Wellesley. Jason enjoyed seeing where he 'went to school' :) We also had a great time in Boston and got to visit the North End for yummy pasta and had clam chowder a few times. We also got to see my friends from college - Addie and Katie. It was great to see them. Addie graduated from Tufts that weekend as well.

Jacob did great on the flight there (I was nervous becuase 2 days before he was diagnosed with a sinus infection and croup, and I had both boys by myself since Jason flew out the day before). The flight home was a different story - no one in a six row vacinity from us was having any fun for the middle 2 hours of the flight!

See below for some pics of our trip.

In Jacob news, it has been a crazy 2 weeks of new 'tricks'. He started blowing kisses a few weeks ago, which is very cute and he also does pattycake by himself when you sing it. Unfortunately he does not do these tricks on demand, so I haven't been able to catch a video. Last week he started waving bye bye (also very cute but still un-captured in video).

BUT THE BIG NEWS - The boy can crawl. I was thinking he never would, but as I'm sure he will often do, he has proven me wrong! Last Wed he started crawling - I do have a video of the first crawls. Note, he is not very happy about this new adventure. This week it is better and he has made it down the hall and across the room, but he's still not thinking it's great all the time.

AND THE BIGGER NEWS - Last Thursday (yes 1 day after crawling), he took 3 steps by himself. We are up to 8 steps by himself so far and he is quite good at going around furniture and anything else he can hold on to, so I'm certain more are coming soon. It is so cute because he knows when he does a good job and is really stable and he'll smile and laugh and get really excited when he gets to the destination. It's been fun to see him gain confidence. This is another thing I promise to get on video this weekend.

Becuase I have not been good at getting the video done, I have included some bonus pics of him just being cute, to appease the masses till the real good stuff gets video'd.

Memorial Day Weekend - Pacific City

2008-05-28T00:28:00.000-07:00

Pacific City

We had a great time this weekend, spending three nights at the Thousand Trails park in PC. We found a great spot close to the pool area, store, and family area. Ethan and Jacob went swimming a few times, ice cream treats were daily afternoon snacks, and Suzi's biscuits and gravy still rank #1 in my book! We drove on the beach and I had some fun showing Ethan how to create "donuts" in the sand...fun times.... Here are some pics!

A day in the Life of a Jewett

2008-05-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm going to start by apologizing if our posts are spotty the next 2 months. This scheudle we are dealing with is crazy. I thought I'd put it down so you know where to find us when you think we have dissapeared from the earth.

5/3-5/4 - Jason School
5/5 - Jason another steroid shot in the back
5/6-5/13 - Jason in Japan
5/12-5/13 - Suzi in CA (Jacob will be with Connie - I didn't forget about him)
5/14 - Jason in Boston
5/15-5/18 - Suzi, Ethan, Jacob in Boston for Jason's graduation
5/23-5/26 - Another trip with Harry in Pacific City
5/29-6/5 - Jason in Isreal
6/6-6/7 - Jason School
6/12-6/17 - Everyone in Colorado
6/20-6/22 - Everyone in Seattle
Wooh! Can it get much crazier?

Besides the craziness, I do have some very cute pictures to share. The pics of Jacob are from a friend's 3 yr b-day party. He really loved her little kitchen. You will notice his crazy hair in the last picture, it is his most commented on feature.

Last weekend Grammie and Grampie were here, Jacob had a great time with them, and I think they both were pretty sad to leave his smiles. Right after they left Jacob started walking around the coffee table and couch to his toy box and walker and across the room. So, we're getting closer to some serious walking. He also had a very horrible cough/cold and we had a rough week overall. But he's on the mend now and back to eating his mass quantity of food, like normal.

Harry's First Outing

2008-04-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Well, better late than never...we thought we'd update you on our first camping trip with Harry....in a nutshell, it was GREAT!. Man going back to tent camping will be difficult after our weekend in Harry. Jason didn't hit anythign while driving and no one was ran off the road, so that part of the test went great. All major systems functioned and we could figure them out in Harry. So it was great. Below are pics of the boys handling the plumbing - which I can already tell is Jason's least favorite part of camping! Also are pics of Jacob's play area and bed. Also, a pic of the inside/kitchen taken about 3 hrs after settling in. I thought it was amazing how quickly the place gets turned upside down and we have toys on the stove! Just like home.

We had a fun time at the beach -Jacob's first trip. But it was really rainy, hailing, windy, overall lovely April Oregon weather. Jacob loved it the most. Ethan brought a cool kite and enjoyed flying it. I think Jacob will love this summer's trips in the camper and going to the beach.

One other note, Jacob turned 10 months old on Sunday. Another unbelievable day. He is loving standing up by himself and can go about a minute before losing it. He's really cute when he does it and gets proud of himself, he gets so excited he falls down. He's also getting 2 more teeth - so he will have 4 on the top and 2 on the bottom.

Everyone Meet Harry

2008-04-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

Well, with our impending sabbatical coming in August, we decided to bite the bullet and get a traveling home that we can take on a 21 day road trip.

Everyone meet our trailer - I'd like to hall him Harry. Harry the Traveling Trailer or Harry the Jayco Bird or Harry the Jewett's Jewell, I haven't decided. We are very excited to have him and make many family memories together. There will be room for visitors if anyone wants to come camping with us. We will be trying to get in 3-4 more trips before we leave in August to make sure we know how to RV before we're stuck in the boonies and not know how to turn on the heater or something:)

We thought that he was a reasonable size, until I saw him behind my truck, then I realized we might have gone a bit large, but this is the floor plan we wanted so that's what we have. He's 28 ft long and sleeps 9! Jacob and Ethan have bunk beds and I already put a children's gate on Jacob's bed so it's all ready to go.

Have a great week. I'll post pictures of our first camping trip this weekend!!

Easter, Eating Peas & Skiing

2008-04-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! I know you have all been waiting for another blog. I apologize for the delay.

I was in China last week (no turtle this time). We were meeting with a new supplier and working on the program that I am managing. It is in a town Shenzhen which is directly west of Hong Kong, we flew into Hong Kong, then drove over. The company employs 300,000 people at that site, it was huge. We had some good food and did some bag shopping, so that was cool.

Jason held down the fort with the boys and did a great job despite he and Jacob having colds and Jason having finals. He taught Jacob to give kisses (to the air) when we make kissing sounds, it's really cute. He doesn't get that you give the kisses to people though and tends to stop if we lean our cheeks in, but will do it if your face isn't in his. Very funny. He's also rolling around alot more and is slightly enjoying a bit of tummy time, so that's a good sign.

I have pictures to share of Easter, our spring break skiing trip and of Jacob feeding himself peas. I hope you enjoy the pics.

I guess Easter morning came too early for Jacob:) He looks a little dazed.

Aren't they the cutest. This little suit used to be huge at christmas time, we had to squeeze him into it for the trip to the mountain. We all skied one day while Jacob stayed in the nursery. The next day Ethan and I skied and Jason Jacob-sat.

Ethan is trying to feed Jacob snow, but he didn't want to eat it...too cold.

Hanging out after skiing. I'm beginning ot think that Jacob's head is as wide as Ethans! You can see he si definitely getting more hair though, it's cute.

Jacob loves to eat most things, cheese is his favorite. He's shoveling the peas in pretty good, but this is nothing compared to the cheese he feeds himself. He doesn't like grated though, only little chunks. What a funny guy.

Jacob's First Steps (assisted)!

2008-03-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! I've been trying to post for days, but for some reason it wasn't giving me the right stuff.

The pictures above are when he was playing around with Jason the other night. He loves the remote and phones - like all other babies:)

Today is Jacob's 9 month birthday. Seems like just days ago I was amazed at the 8th month. We took him for his Dr. appt yesterday (no shots this time...yeah!) He weighed in at 20lb, 12 oz (56th %), 29in (75%) and 91% head. So the head is definitely the challenge in the whole crawling thing. We are also very excited that his weight is back in the normal range and praise God for his grace and wisdom in helping us get through 'project Beefcake' and get out little guy right on track.

Anyway, now to the exciting stuff.

Jacob has really taken to walking and standing this week. At church on Sunday when I came into the nursery he turned from his play table he was standing by and took a step towards me, we all did a dive to catch him. Silly guy.

He's really into standing and will push our hands away when we're holding him, then he wobbles for about 5 seconds, sometimes longer, then the large head takes the tower down and we catch him, which he thinks is fun.

On Tuesday night, he took his first assisted steps without us. See the video below. He walked all the way from the living room to the kitchen and acroos the living room a few times. He goes a little too fast for our liking:)

Pictures

2008-03-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

After complaits for on last week's post of no pictures, we took some to share. Jacob will turn 9 months on Thursday. Today he was so funny, he learned to roll a ball back and forth with me and was so proud of himself when he pushed it he would laugh and wave his arms around, like he does when he's excited, it was so fun. This week he tried cottage cheese and seemed to like it quite a bit.

Ethan and I had fun playing with Jacob in the tub and soaping him up.

Today he was having so much fun jumping in his little saucer that I thought I'd take a video. He's so funny.

1/2 in 1/2 out

2008-03-09T21:14:00.001-07:00

HA! You are most likely going to think we're weird. But most of you know we are anyway.

We realized today is Jacob's 1/2 in and 1/2 out birthday. He's 259 days old today and he was also alive in my tummy for 259 days (if my calculations are correct). So, we've created a new 'hallmark day' called 1/2 in 1/2 out day:) HA! Happy 1/2 Day Jacob.

This weekend was good. Friday night we went to check out campers and RV's at the RV show, pretty cool things there!. We are wanting an RV or camper for our sabbatical (8 weeks paid vacation) this summer. We are trying to determine to rent or buy. Then on Saturday morning, Ethan had his last basket ball game. It was so exciting. Ethan is great at defense, but hasn't scored all year, so the entire team was trying so hard to get him the ball to score. He had some super close moments, but nothing was going in. It was so sad because he wanted it so bad - he was on the ground going after loose balls and causing turnovers and shooting. At the end of the game we were all in tears, but he's recovered and ready for next year. What a fun game.

Saturday afternoon, Jason and Ethan went with a neighbor on his new boat and got the experience of going 75mph in a boat through Downtown Portland. I'm sure the fishermen loved them. They had a great time though.

Jacob is up to 3 meals a day and loving it. He's eating cheese, saltines, cheerios, dried apples and a boat load of cereal and veggies and is pretty much just likes pears for fruit. He's walking all over (while holding onto our fingers) and is starting to let go of us to try standing on his own. He wants to walk so bad, it's really cute. He is absolutely loving Ethan. We are cool, but Ethan is the best ever in his book. He just laughs and looks at him and looks some more and laughs. It is so wonderful to see them bond. Ethan loves it too, of course. He's mentioned getting ready for another little one, I guess it's pretty cool to be some one's hero!

Well, that's all the update, just wanted to mention our new thought! - 1/2 in 1/2 out Day!

Oh, I almost forgot the other big news. Jacob's teeth #3 and #4 made an appearance this weekend. The top front 2 teeth are here. He's doing much better with these than the first, so that is good. He is going to look so different with his new teeth. I still haven't gotten over how cute the bottom ones are, and now he's changing again. How amazing.

The Basketball Question

2008-03-05T21:31:00.000-08:00

I am passionate about basketball....although I am not great, I have very inconsistent streaks, hitting 3-5 NBA 3 pointers in a row and always delivering a heavy defense (I usually foul out).

I didnt start playing until I was 28 yrs old, at Fujistu when I was a process engineer. We used to play during lunch...it was great. When I was 30yrs old, I tore my ACL playing basketball.....and it all went downhill since....4 knee surgeries later (I am now 38, so ~ average 2 years apart)...my knee is strong...but my body is starting to feel old....longer recoveries...

Before Jacob was born, I had back surgery for a L5/S1 herniated disc...which after surgery...pain was gone, but I had a pinched nerve. This nerve is still prevalent, and epidural steroid injections havent really helped.....alas....surgery may be in the horizon.....it certainly hurts sometimes playing basketball when I extend myself.

Well, today, playing basketball, I rolled my ankle....it is swollen up and the top of my foot is in lots of pain. I was wearing cruddy running shoes/cross trainers...and the ankle just rolled. I was in so much pain at the time...havent been able to walk since. (9 hrs ago).

In reflection...I think I play football when playing basketball. I use my body and sprint to intercept balls ( like today when I hurt my foot). I think that at 38, I need to tone it down some. I need to get the right shoes and equipment when doing sports. Am I getting clumsy since I was 30?

So, basically in a nutshell...I need to stop playing basketball, and if I do play, I need the appropriate gear.

My wife isnt happy with me! She doesnt want to take care of two babies! Ha!

Big Post

2008-03-01T20:18:00.000-08:00

Hey All, I'm going to admit deliquency, before any of you acuse me of it:)

So, now I'm going to post a plethora of cute things.

Jacob turned 8 months old on the 20th - can you believe it? I can't. It really made me start to think, it goes so fast. I've known Ethan since he was 4 and now he's 9. We're already 1/2 way to 18 with him. I feel like when I run or swim and the first lap seems to take forever, then all the sudden I'm 1/2 way there, then 3/4 then 7/8 and it's over so quickly. I know that's how the next 18 years will go. The pic from Jacob's 8 month B-day is posted at the top.

Jacob is also into clapping. Ethan and I were playing with him and his train the other day, and we got some cute claps.

And last but not least. We had a great day last Sunday. Jacob got dedicated at church. It was a great day, we went to church and had 20 visitors with us - woohoo! Then went to our friend Brandon and Tege who are Katavia's parents. Jacob is 10 days older than Katavia and she was dedicated as well. Tege and I are in our Thursday morning MOMs group and we do our couples bible study together. Tege and I put on a brunch for about 65 people, it turned out great. My 10 quiches and 20 lbs of potatoes got done and were yummy. Tege did an awesome job on decorating and the other yummies.

We are so happy that so many people could share the dedication with us and help us to raise Jacob in the way God would have us do it. Thank you to all that could come. What a wonderful day.

Day at the Park

2008-02-19T09:13:00.001-08:00

Well, Jacob is offically a little boy, not a BABY. He went on the little boy swing and down the slide at the park this weekend. We went with one of his friends, Bryce, in the neighborhood, and Bryce showed him how to do all sorts of stuff. (Bryce is 15 months old). Don't laugh at his fuzzy, yet very thin hair - it's cute!

We were blessed with a beautiful weekend this weekend with NO RAIN - Woohoo!! We always need a break about this time of the winter. Jacob enjoyed the weather and got to spend lots of time outside, which he really likes.

Jacob has been busy learning to clap - it's really cute, he leaves one hand still and claps the other to it. I haven't gotten a video yet though. And he's loving talking - mama, didid, bababa, all the important ones. Now he just needs to learn that all those noises equal us. He's been rolling a little bit more and spent 3 minutes on his tummy without dying, so I'm beginning to think he may just crawl eventually.

This week will be a busy one. Jason is in Arizon on Tues, Wed, Thur. And I got 2 new projects at work. On Wed, I will have to take Ethan to B-Ball and drum lessons and get Jacob fed and to bed all in 3 hrs, so that should be interesting. And on Sunday we will be hosting 50 people for Jacob and Katavia's Dedication at our friends Brandon and Tege's house after Church. So, I've signed up to bring 10 quiches and potatoes for 50-60 people. Should be a crazy week. If anyone knows how to mass produce rosemary potatoes or quiches, please let me know:) I'll be sure and post some dedication pics of the little guy. It should be a great day.

Have a wonderful (Short) week.

What's our Purpose.

2008-02-05T21:47:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Well, after a bit of a hiatus, I am back at the driver's wheel. Hopefully I'll give some complete thoughts to the blog:) Don't worry you weren't the only one that had trouble following Jason's blogs!

This weekend I went to a women's retreat with 150 women from our church. It was a great time to get away and refresh. The topic was discovering our purpose - on a global level. It was very interesting to think that it is my responsibility as a Christian to preserve our earth. I've always tried to think globally - recycle, moderate spending, not be wasteful, etc...because I think that's the right thing to do. But, for some reason I've never thought of the Earth as a gift from God that we should preserve. That means moderating resources and taking care of those in need. It takes it to a whole new level. Pretty cool. I'll work on posting some ideas that they gave us to start small in efforts to make changes in our actions.

We also talked about many other things, like reconciling those that are seperated and in pain, on a local and global level. Additionally we talked about reconciling relationships we have and breaking down walls that prevent the reconcillation. I decided I just need to pick up the phone and chat with people; sometime between high school and now, I've decided I can only call or talk to people if I have a 'business purpose'. That has prevented me from the deep day to day relationships that we all desire. So, hopefully some of you will get some calls for me just to chat. Don't be worried:)

I can't resist an update on Jacob. His ears seem to be better and he is laughing much more lately. It's very fun. He likes to say mamama and babababa. I walked in tonight after a day trip to San Francisco and he squelled in delight, it was cool.

Moments in time...

2008-02-02T12:25:00.001-08:00

Friday night - chilling with Jacob (Suzi is out of town at a womans retreat in Cannon Beach and Ethan is at his mom's). Stopped off to get a bottle of Martin Rey Cab Sav 2005 at Cork n Barrell in Forest Grove on the way home. I thought a nice glass of wine to end the week would be relaxing...little did I know what was in store for me later. Jacob is still under the weather, and he went to bed around 7:30pm and I watched the blazer game...wow that was a close one. My buddy Justin helped me create a "life dashboard" to include the things in my life and color code it to highlight areas of need. While I was leaning back, I bumped my wine glass and it fell off the table and broke and spilled all over the biege carpet...Now...red wine on beige carpet...help! I poured club soda and tried my industrial vac to suck it all out....but I have failed...I have a large 4 x 4 foot area that is ruined with a shade of red. Any ideas to clean it out are welcomed at this point. Suzi comes home in 1 day...argh! Today (Saturday) I woke up to snow! Can you beleive that, more snow....Jacob and I went to Ethans basket ball game and he was great! He is really picking up the defense and starting to drive and shoot more....I really was proud of him. His confidence is building! Jacob was pulling on Erika's hair during the game and was fascinated with the ball and kids running around. Well, back at home...just watching the snow come down. Need to catch a nap (Jacob is sleeping now as well).....have lunch. If anybody knows how to get some wine out of carpet, let me know!!

Telecommuting Today

2008-01-30T17:12:00.000-08:00

Well, its Wed night and I am pooped. Working from home can be a flexible perk, and with a sick baby...well, lets say it can be one long day. Jacob has an ear infection, teething (top) and a terrible cough. He has been struggling all day. Impromptu meetings have flooded my schedule and emails have been flooding my inbox today, yet I did manage to get a great video of Jacob in a good mood (Tylenol or Motrin cocktail must of helped + food). Ethan is practicing drums now and then we are headed off to basketball practice. Maybe we can sneak in a game of "Settlers of Catan" tonight after dinner!!

Great Saturday!

2008-01-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

It has been a long week (school, work..lack of sleep)...drained...but nothing like a "great Saturday". This is my first contribution to the family blog, so I am excited to talk about chlorine, the planet of Hoth, and the importance of dating! We went to the aquatic center today with Baby J and Ethan. Jacob was neither happy or screaming...he just had a serious look to him for 40 minutes in the pool. Ethan was a little rusty, not swimming for a while, but at the end of it...I couldn't get him out. At home we played Star Wars video games (the planet of Hoth is our favorite, because we can be Luke or Darth Vader..fun!) did some chores, and wrestled a bit. This evening Suzi and I went to Portland Steak and Chophouse downtown for date night. We got all dressed up and had a great time. We haven't been there before, so it was a slight step down from Ruths Chris's but very nice. The prime rib was awesome and the Ginger Peartini and the Mango Mojito were our favorite cocktails. I cant stress the importance of a date night with your lifetime bride! It has been a while, and when you are doing it, you realize that you dont do it enough. Wild! Well, I just wanted to post the pic at the pool (yes I am looking chubby, but they say photos add like 20 lbs to you) and tell the world about the "Great Saturday" I had! I love my family.

More Pics...of course

2008-01-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

Well, I can't resist the temptation to share cute pics of our boys. My mom has been begging me to get some pics done of Jacob somewhere professional, so when she was here we went for some pics. Jacob did so good, they asked if they could post some pics. So, now Jacob will be FAMOUS! (at the local photo place anyway - ha!).

Then I got fancy and made a slide show, thanks to our friend Tara Greer who is a blogging master! Take a look below!

I'm Back

2008-01-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

Well, after 10 long days on the road and 4 Asian countries (Korea - a stop where we landed, but did not get off the plane, China, Hong Kong & Taiwan), I am home. Yeah. 7 days was OK, but 10 was too long.

This is a pic of a coastal town on Hong Kong Island

These are NOT rubber chickens!

While I was gone Jacob spent his time with Grammie and Dad. They all had a great time. So much fun he gained another pound, so now he's up to 19, can you believe it? I'm telling you, the kid loves to eat, it's amazing. He'll down 6-8 oz of real food a meal (and if you know 7 month olds, that's ALOT). It amazes me.

I forgot to mention before that he also has his front 2 bottom teeth now. He got them in Oklahoma, but by the time I got back they were fully sprouted, it's so cute. He's also found his tongue and loves turning it upside down to play with it in his mouth, so silly.

Grammie and Dad also worked on some sign language while I was gone and I must say I beleive he knows milk. He uses it for milk, bottle, and real food, but he's associating food to the sign so that's cool. Now we're working on food, more and please. He loves when we make the signs, so that's cool.

Ethan had his first Basketball game, and had a great time, they have now won their first 2 games. There are some TALL kids on his team, it's fun to watch. Jacob likes the bouncing ball.

Jacob graduated to his next step in the big boy bath progression - out of the baby bathtub, into the utility sink! Here is a video of us trying to get him to smile for pictures in his first sink soak!

Catching Up

2008-01-13T05:13:00.000-08:00

Well, there is about a month or more that needs catching up, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to do so.

Jacob has his first food on Thanksgiving Day - pumpkin. I made a mix with milk and spice so he had is own little pumpkin pie. He loved it! He is a very good eater and is definitely loving eating lots of food now, he's had peas, green beans, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, carrots and cereals so far. Next week is apples, so he's excited:)

Jacob is also great at playing around. I just love this big smile with his cheeks.

In Early December, Lisa, Jason sister visited us with her new baby Brody. We are so excited to have a nephew and Jacob is excited to have a cousin.

For the first 6 months, every Thursday, Jacob and I have been going to a Mom's group. He graduated on 12/20....very cute:)

Then we decided it would be great to get a 25 foot tall christmas tree...hmmm...maybe not the best idea we've had, but it really did turn out nice (after we got 3 neighbors help us get it put in the house and into the stand the boys made. We're not sure if we'll be repeating this feat. The tree had to be trimmed down to 18 feet to fit in the house:)

That brings us to christmas and all the wonderful times. We spent time with Jacob's 'Girlfriends' in my Mom's group. Time with Grandmas and Grandma-Grandma's at chrstmas Eve. Then we went to Oklahoma to see my grandparents. It was a great time - Ethan drove a tractor, we saw my cousins on both sides and spent some good time with my parents and grandparents. See below for some pics. Jacob sat by himself the first time on Christmas Eve (with his cute little yellow hat).

It's Begun

2008-01-12T05:49:00.000-08:00

Well, after resisting a blog for a few years, I have finally decided to get one going for our family of growing boys. Jacob is 6 1/2 months now and Ethan is a bit over 9...time is flying. Jacob is sitting up and loving eating real food, he also has his first 2 teeth making appearances. Ethan is busy in 3rd grade and is taking drum lessons and is playing basketball. Tomorrow is his first basketball game...Yeah!

I am currently in Hong Kong on business travel. I was in Shanghai, China last week and will go to Taiwan tomorrow for 3 days, then back home to my boys. My mom came to Oregon play with Jacob and help out Jason - thanks Mom! Here is one of my dinners - can you guess what it is? Tastes like chicken:)

Here's also a picture of the TV tower in Shanghai - a bit more appetizing. The fog has been really bad, making our flight over 22 hours instead of 13 and my flight to Hong Kong 6 hours late, so I've had 2 all-night flying adventures.