From the Editor's Desk
This has been a wonderful week. Andy has returned home from Iraq. What an answer to our many prayers. This week was Shannon's wedding. I will include an email I received from Patsy below:
Dearest Robert:
Thank you so much for sending the letter to Shannan, I have delivered it to her- the wedding was spectacular and we missed you and Kellie and Steven and Dona since we have no other family on my family that could come. Grace and Russ from Steven's side came and they were our only family there, but everything turned out so beautiful. The weather was beautiful, the ceremony at the Draper Temple was beautiful. Shannan was the only bride and those little women at the temple just pampered her. The reception was all I hoped it would be and the food was plentiful and lovely. How blessed are we to have all three of our daughters married in the temple to wonderful young men who love and respect them and a wonderful son. I haven't had a lot of money in this life, but that means nothing to me, in spiritual matters, I am blessed beyond measure. I love you very, very much and grateful for two good brothers and a brother I pray for everyday - love Patsy
The Wisconsin Haws Family
Well I am in New York City at Steve and Dona's home. I came to New York City on Friday. I am a meeting for the International Pediatric Nephrology Meetings. I attended the Saturday meetings and will return to the meetings again tomorrow. I was able to enjoy church with Steve and Dona and they have treated me to a delicious meal. I tried to attend the Manhatten temple to get some of the work down but unfortunately the temple was closed for renovations. Foiled!
Back in Wisconsin Logan is starting school tomorrow. He will be attending Columbus Catholic School. The students and parents have been very welcoming to Logan. Logan has been attending soccer practice every morning at 6:30 AM. The biggest news from Logan is that his chicken coop is now fully commissioned and christened. It was not painted when I left but they are planning on painting it red. We will besure and send some pictures. With the Salmonella outbreak we are hoping that Logan's chickens start earning their keep very soon!
Emily has had fun with friends this last week prior to starting school. She has continued working on Chips. She has been rereading the Fablehaven book series.
Lanette's school is beginning this week but with mom trying to do mom and dad duties she has elected not to take Lanette down to school this week. Lanette did have the opportunity to spend some time with my former medical assistant, April, and her family.
Grant has continued to work quite a bit. He was gracious enough to help me move the chicken coop. Unfortunately when we lifted up the coop the wheel was set down on his foot. You have to understand that our chicken coop weighs about 500 or 600 pounds. Thankfully he was willing to keep helping me. We got the chicken coop in position, a fence set up and things basically set up before I ran in a took a quick shower before driving to the airport.
Mom has been working hard trying to cover all the family duties. In addition to the regular duties mom is constantly doing she put up more than 20 jars of spagetti sauce. Needless to say she does not want to see another tomato for at least one year. Mom will be working in one of the local schools with a blind girl as a teacher's assistant. I know that she will do a wonderful job.
News from Newport News
This week has been wonderful. First of all ANDY IS HOME! He was suppose to arrive home on Wednesday night but they had a sandstorm and therefore was not able to fly out until the next day. On Thursday afternoon was the long awaited arrival! They received a police and POW/MIA biker escort from the airport which was well deserved. All of us was full of excitement. Haley and Kayla of course are very attached to him and are both very much daddy's girls. I am loving having my best friend home again.
News from the Lanes
I have not been able to reach Julie and Jeff for the last couple of days. I do know that they are looking forward to their upcoming move to a new apartments. We are delighted to know that Julie and Jeff along with Stacie and Kevin will be coming to Wisconsin for Christmas. Thankfully are basement has made such progress that we will be able to enjoy that extra space.
That actually brings me to a thought that Mom and I have discussed. We really need to update our family picture but there is no way we are going to bring everyone together soon. We are going to look into working with a photographer that could potentially merge each of your family pictures into a composite family picture. When we were visiting my cousin in Janesville they had done such photograph. It was really good. I will give you more details in the future.
The Jacksons of Albaquerque
Last Sunday Stacie was called to serve in the ward Young Women's organization. Stacie and Kevin spent dinner and another couple's home, the Hardmans. They are grateful to be gaining more friends in their area. They have been especially thankful for their neighbor, Cesar, who has helped them repeatedly with their car troubles including the car troubles they had last Tuesday. On Tuesday they discovered, after a lot of looking, that a hose broke off of their engine causing the car to overheat and shut down frequently. Thankfully the car was fixed quickly and with the help of Cesar and Stacie's visiting teacher, they were able to fix their problems and get around.
Tuesday also marked the first day of graduate school for Kevin. He is currently taking a medieval studies course and a introduction to professional research course. So far he is enjoying is courses and looks forward to being able to take more courses in the future. On Friday Stacie and Kevin assisted with their monthly Cub Pack Meeting, where they held a "Raingutter Ragatta." Kevin did a great job stepping up as cubmaster and the boys really enjoyed creating and racing their tin foil boats.
On Saturday Stacie looked forward to spending some time with some new friends from work, but had to take a rain check due to a cold. With the help of a lot of orange juice and a nice husband, she is recovering from her sickness. She also was excited to receive a candle that she won from a blog site. She has sent a picture of the candle, which looks pretty cool and should smell great (once her sinuses have cleared up enough to try it out).
Today Stacie and Kevin look forward to spending dinner with another family in their wards and, hopefully, developing more friends.
The International Haws
Generally we had a very normal week.
Some fun occurances were:
To our luck last week the Packers game was on tv down here. Surprised to see it I told the kids to leave it on for a bit. While watching Renata bursted out “I’ve heard of that player before.” Not quite understanding I asked what she meant I requested explanation. She insisted that she had heard the name of one of the players, his name was Quarterback and since she had heard of him before he must be famous. Being in a jolly mood I played along with a “Yeah, I watched him play when I was young” and “I can’t believe that you have heard of him.” Finally I had to break down and tell her that quarterback was a position and not the name of a player, but it was quite enjoyable.
A fun story with Lucas (though I may have mentioned this before). Lucas has been playing hide-and-seek in the neighborhood lately. Complaints have come in that the game is not fun anymore. Dallin dalmation ruins it. Apparently Dallin likes to follow Lucas so when he hides there is either a tail flapping around or barks or any number of other give-aways for where Lucas is located. It is fun to watch. In the end I think that Dallin suffers an identity complex thinking that he is one of the kids and not the dog.
My birthday is this week and Renata spent some time trying to determine what would be a good present. I think that she found the best possible present. She bought a nice, comfortable chair for me to use when I work. Unfortunately for Renata this has brought undesired side effects, namely now I feel so much better sitting in my chair that it is even harder to pull me away from work. If the thing had just a couple more inches height in the back and a little more tilt I think that I could sleep in the thing. Renata, Steven and I are both very grateful.
As that takes up all of the interesting stories I confess that everything else was pretty much the same game of work and school.
Jeff
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
August 22, 2010
From the Editor's Desk
The week has flown by and here is the latest news from our family. Please keep sending information for the blog. Even if you think your life has been uneventful and uninteresting you may be surprised how great it is to hear about your life.
The BIG news this week is that Andy is coming home. Our prayers have been answered for his safety. Many of nights mom and I have prayed for Andy's safety. I am sure that Melanie and the girls were praying for Andy even more fervently. What a wonderful blessing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Wisconsin Haws Family
The summer is coming to an end this week. Logan begins soccer practice at 6:30 AM tomorrow. Emily has registered for her fall classes this last week and has some activity plans for this last week before school starts. Lanette has enjoyed time with friends and is dreading the start of a new school year. At the same time Mom is looking forward to the new school year and the quieter home scene. Grant has been experiences some of the vicissitudes of being a manager.
Mom enjoyed the blessing of going to the temple yesterday. She was able to attend the sealing of a very special couple that moved into our branch recently. Their names are Dick and Anne Bates. The are an older couple that have lived a very interesting life. His last job was a minister for the Church of the Brethren. Interesting he found out this week that his brother is a member of the Church and has served as a Stake President. Funny world with so many twists and turns.
For those of you interested in the chicken tractor updates- Yesterday we added the roof, ceiling light (plexiglas enlayed in the roof) and 70% of the shingling done. Logan suggested yesterday that we put air conditioning in the coop. I nixed that.
News from Newport News
Another week has flown by. Haley is excited because now she can see with her new Princess glasses; (I had no idea that she wasn't able to see anything.) Kayla of course is sad that Haley gets to wear them and she doesn't . We visited the Virginia Living Museum again this week. The girls love digging for dinosaurs bones, I love to set and relax for about an hour watching them dig. I was luckily enough to have a sitter for the girls so I was able to get my hair colored and have some "me" time. Andy is very excited and so are we because he will be home on Wednesday night! Yeah!
News from the Lanes
This week, Jeff taught more football facts to Julie for Family Home Evening, particularly the defensive line, line backers and secondary positions. If you ever need some one to give you football facts he is the man.
We also were attacked by a flood of moths or mice we cannot tell which it is; well actually we do not know how many either, but they manage to eat through four shirts. The upside of this is we had to go shopping! Julie says "darn--- not"
The rest of the week was devoted to preparing our "Deep in the Jungle with ravenous primary children party". At the beginning of the year Julie promised her primary kids a party if they kept some goals; for example, beat one other kid up once a week, steal candy from babies, etc. Just teasing--things like reading scriptures, saying prayers, etc.... When we told the kids in her class that we were going to move they requested we move the party forward, so we did. Our apartment was covered in tiki faces, construction paper vines, and balloons. To top it off we made lime cupcakes that looked like exploding volcanoes (see our pics- Martha would be proud). The kids loved the cupcakes. Jeff had a sword fight and video game session with one of the boys and the girls went crazy when they found that Julie had made them some Barbie supplies: food, clothes,etc....oh and Julie had a hand less-jello eating contest with one of the girls and one of the boys. Pictures included. The girls also loved tieing us up with the Mardi Gras necklaces. Julie is glad that she bought those beads they have come in handy for her.
After the party we took the girls to another member's home where there was an open-to-all BBQ being held. Not the people being BBQ just able to come. We had fun talking to people and watching the kids jump into the cold lake.The members dog was very funny as it swam around trying to catch the fish.
Today both primary and young mens had larger numbers than usual. Julie took another class making her class literally half the primary!!! Tonight he has a fireside.
Julie
The Jacksons
This week was yet another busy work week for Stacie. On Tuesday more than half the residents at UNM campus moved in, making Stacie's day very busy. However, the week lightened up afterwards. On Thursday Stacie and Kevin attended a Cub Committee Meeting and planned a fun Pack Meeting for Friday. This upcoming Friday they'll hold a "Raingutter Ragata" which is like a pinewood derby for foil boats. On Friday Stacie left work early (which was a wonderful blessing) and spent the afternoon with Kevin. In the evening their friends, John and Ashley Moffat, stopped by for dinner. John was Kevin's roommate a few years ago in Provo. He and his wife, Ashley, were passing through Albuquerque on their long road trip up to Chicago, where Ashley will be enrolled in pastry school. Stacie and Kevin enjoyed the famous Giovanni's pizza with John and Ashley. After the Moffats left they spent the evening watching the film, "The Adventures of Milo and Otis." Kevin enjoyed re-visiting a childhood classic.
On Saturday Stacie & Kevin woke up early and headed over to the Sandia Mountains. They climbed up the La Luz Trail, which is the same trail Kevin, Emily and Dad climbed in June. The trail was beautiful with several kinds of flowers in bloom. It took them about six hours to make it to the top of the mountain where they enjoyed a well deserved lunch at a restaurant on the top. The view from the top of the mountain was incredible. From the restaurant they could see 11,000 square miles of the New Mexico valley. They then rode the tramway down the mountain and laughed that what took them several hours to go up only took them minutes to go down.
Today Kevin & Stacie look forward to having dinner with another couple from their ward. They also enjoyed meeting a new young couple that recently moved into their ward and happen to live in their apartment complex. Although the week has been quite hot, right now they are anticipating going out in the heavy rainfall from a passing monsoon. We hope their roads remain clear and they can visit their friends safely. We also wish Kevin luck as he begins school this week.
The International Haws Family
Jeff tells me that they have had a very quiet, uneventful week. He didn't have a chance to send anything to me so I will leave his update short and sweet. I will tell you that he has given me a lot of good information since I will be visiting and staying with Steve and Dona this week.
The week has flown by and here is the latest news from our family. Please keep sending information for the blog. Even if you think your life has been uneventful and uninteresting you may be surprised how great it is to hear about your life.
The BIG news this week is that Andy is coming home. Our prayers have been answered for his safety. Many of nights mom and I have prayed for Andy's safety. I am sure that Melanie and the girls were praying for Andy even more fervently. What a wonderful blessing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Wisconsin Haws Family
The summer is coming to an end this week. Logan begins soccer practice at 6:30 AM tomorrow. Emily has registered for her fall classes this last week and has some activity plans for this last week before school starts. Lanette has enjoyed time with friends and is dreading the start of a new school year. At the same time Mom is looking forward to the new school year and the quieter home scene. Grant has been experiences some of the vicissitudes of being a manager.
Mom enjoyed the blessing of going to the temple yesterday. She was able to attend the sealing of a very special couple that moved into our branch recently. Their names are Dick and Anne Bates. The are an older couple that have lived a very interesting life. His last job was a minister for the Church of the Brethren. Interesting he found out this week that his brother is a member of the Church and has served as a Stake President. Funny world with so many twists and turns.
For those of you interested in the chicken tractor updates- Yesterday we added the roof, ceiling light (plexiglas enlayed in the roof) and 70% of the shingling done. Logan suggested yesterday that we put air conditioning in the coop. I nixed that.
News from Newport News
Another week has flown by. Haley is excited because now she can see with her new Princess glasses; (I had no idea that she wasn't able to see anything.) Kayla of course is sad that Haley gets to wear them and she doesn't . We visited the Virginia Living Museum again this week. The girls love digging for dinosaurs bones, I love to set and relax for about an hour watching them dig. I was luckily enough to have a sitter for the girls so I was able to get my hair colored and have some "me" time. Andy is very excited and so are we because he will be home on Wednesday night! Yeah!
News from the Lanes
This week, Jeff taught more football facts to Julie for Family Home Evening, particularly the defensive line, line backers and secondary positions. If you ever need some one to give you football facts he is the man.
We also were attacked by a flood of moths or mice we cannot tell which it is; well actually we do not know how many either, but they manage to eat through four shirts. The upside of this is we had to go shopping! Julie says "darn--- not"
The rest of the week was devoted to preparing our "Deep in the Jungle with ravenous primary children party". At the beginning of the year Julie promised her primary kids a party if they kept some goals; for example, beat one other kid up once a week, steal candy from babies, etc. Just teasing--things like reading scriptures, saying prayers, etc.... When we told the kids in her class that we were going to move they requested we move the party forward, so we did. Our apartment was covered in tiki faces, construction paper vines, and balloons. To top it off we made lime cupcakes that looked like exploding volcanoes (see our pics- Martha would be proud). The kids loved the cupcakes. Jeff had a sword fight and video game session with one of the boys and the girls went crazy when they found that Julie had made them some Barbie supplies: food, clothes,etc....oh and Julie had a hand less-jello eating contest with one of the girls and one of the boys. Pictures included. The girls also loved tieing us up with the Mardi Gras necklaces. Julie is glad that she bought those beads they have come in handy for her.
After the party we took the girls to another member's home where there was an open-to-all BBQ being held. Not the people being BBQ just able to come. We had fun talking to people and watching the kids jump into the cold lake.The members dog was very funny as it swam around trying to catch the fish.
Today both primary and young mens had larger numbers than usual. Julie took another class making her class literally half the primary!!! Tonight he has a fireside.
Julie
The Jacksons
This week was yet another busy work week for Stacie. On Tuesday more than half the residents at UNM campus moved in, making Stacie's day very busy. However, the week lightened up afterwards. On Thursday Stacie and Kevin attended a Cub Committee Meeting and planned a fun Pack Meeting for Friday. This upcoming Friday they'll hold a "Raingutter Ragata" which is like a pinewood derby for foil boats. On Friday Stacie left work early (which was a wonderful blessing) and spent the afternoon with Kevin. In the evening their friends, John and Ashley Moffat, stopped by for dinner. John was Kevin's roommate a few years ago in Provo. He and his wife, Ashley, were passing through Albuquerque on their long road trip up to Chicago, where Ashley will be enrolled in pastry school. Stacie and Kevin enjoyed the famous Giovanni's pizza with John and Ashley. After the Moffats left they spent the evening watching the film, "The Adventures of Milo and Otis." Kevin enjoyed re-visiting a childhood classic.
On Saturday Stacie & Kevin woke up early and headed over to the Sandia Mountains. They climbed up the La Luz Trail, which is the same trail Kevin, Emily and Dad climbed in June. The trail was beautiful with several kinds of flowers in bloom. It took them about six hours to make it to the top of the mountain where they enjoyed a well deserved lunch at a restaurant on the top. The view from the top of the mountain was incredible. From the restaurant they could see 11,000 square miles of the New Mexico valley. They then rode the tramway down the mountain and laughed that what took them several hours to go up only took them minutes to go down.
Today Kevin & Stacie look forward to having dinner with another couple from their ward. They also enjoyed meeting a new young couple that recently moved into their ward and happen to live in their apartment complex. Although the week has been quite hot, right now they are anticipating going out in the heavy rainfall from a passing monsoon. We hope their roads remain clear and they can visit their friends safely. We also wish Kevin luck as he begins school this week.
The International Haws Family
Jeff tells me that they have had a very quiet, uneventful week. He didn't have a chance to send anything to me so I will leave his update short and sweet. I will tell you that he has given me a lot of good information since I will be visiting and staying with Steve and Dona this week.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
August 15, 2010
From the Editor's desk
The week has zoomed by. My sense of the family is that things have been really busy for some and a bit slower for others. I hope that you have enjoyed the weekly updates. Perhaps the biggest update is that we are just days from having Andy returning safely from Iraq!!!! Thank you Andy (and Melanie) for your sacrifice!!!
The Wisconsin Haws Family
We have had a productive week with the garden giving us tons of zuchinni, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes and green beans. We also spent one evening together as a family canning peaches. I enjoyed it a lot. I am not sure that everyone feels the same way about the peach canning experience.
Logan's chickens are growing very fast. This morning one of the birds was standing on top of the container he has been keeping them in. We realized that leaving them in the same container today will probably result in birds walking around the house while we were at church. So Logan and I put together a quick chicken coop as temporary measure. The real coop is making pretty good progress but it is not done yet. Logan is also looking forward to starting soccer practice in one week.
Emily started work this week at Chips fast food restaruant. She has found out that making cones is a bit harder than expected. Work is not her favorite activity but I am sure her first check will improve her outlook on the job. She has had some fun with friends this week. She is looking forward to school registration this week.
Lanette completed her work program at the daycare center. It was a good experience for her to work there. She is using some of her money to take the Elmhorst family out to dinner. I thought that was neat that she wanted to do something for someone else. She loves her cell phone and I am sure many of you have heard from her.
Grant told me that he had nothing for the family blog except for the fact that he "worked" this week. His flowers and trees have really ornamented our home. The porch has a number of flowers that greets our visitors. The trees are fairly well with some already growing more than a foot this year. We appreciate Grant's constant contributions to our home and life.
Mom has traveled to Janesville and back enough times this summer that she has a number of routes identified. On Thursday she went down to Janesville and stayed overnight so that she could break up the trip. She picked up Lanette on Friday and came back home. I asked her if she would like to consider going to the temple on Saturday. It was clear that another long road trip was beyond her body's capacity.
I have had a great week with many opportunities. Work has been challenging. I have been invited to play a new role in the residency training program supervising resident research. That will be a good opportunity. I have enjoyed taking care of some complex patients that keep me learning. I have enjoyed the blessing of the Holy Ghost directing me in my activities which has been the brought a great peace to me in daily life. Most of all I have enjoyed some wonderful time with my family. Mom and I took made a short date of getting a milk shake together. You all have a wonderful mom.
The Jackson's of Alberquerque
This week was very busy for Stacie as she worked to prepare for her new staff and all of the residents moving into the dorms. Almost every day she worked overtime and still had to bring some work home this weekend. Although it was very stressful, she is thankful for the time passing by quickly. This week Kevin looks forward to meetings at UNM to prepare for school, which starts on the 23rd.
On Monday, Kevin was able to lift weights with his friend, Cesar. Cesar has been really kind to Kevin and Stacie by loaning them tools to fix Kevin's bike and helping Kevin fix the car. It has been a blessing to have a friend who lives nearby. On Thursday, Stacie and Kevin assisted with an eagle project at the state fairgrounds. The scout's family offered them tickets to the state fair, which they look forward to using.
On Friday Kevin worked very late at the Y. After he got off work, Stacie & Kevin went out for a late night dinner at Denny's which reminded them of Provo. In Provo a lot of students will go out to IHOP or Denny's as soon as midnight hits on Sunday. It is crazy to see how packed the restaurants can be at that time. Afterwards, they then tried to catch the meteor shower but gave up and went home to bed. On Saturday Stacie worked on some more things for her workplace in order to prepare for the upcoming week. Kevin had to work through most of the day, but after he got off work they relaxed together and watched Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince.
Today Stacie & Kevin attended their stake conference. They enjoyed sitting next to a family from their ward, called the Crams. The Crams have been really nice to Stacie & Kevin. A few weeks ago Stacie & Kevin doorbell ditched cookies to their house. This evening Stacie has to go into work for a training orientation for her new staff members. This upcoming week they look forward to visiting with some friends from their BYU single ward and hopefully, taking a little time off from work.
News from Newport News
This week we have been busy going to the library and staying indoors to stay cool. Some exciting news is that Haley was able to tie her shoe all by herself, and Kayla has been miss speedy on her bike. The girls received a long waited package from their daddy which contained their cool Dora and Tinkerbell hats and camel necklaces. On Saturday we were able to make signs for Andy's homecoming. We have about one more week until Andy comes home! YEAH!
The International Haws Family
Dad and Mom,
This week was very busy. Our iPhone app has evolved to a universal app being
available for both iPhones and iPads. To add to the challenges it was a
Cocoa Report week, which brings much data maintenance so that Steven can
judge the markets. In the end I think that it was more stressful for Renata
than for me and she deserves an enormous congratulations for putting up with
me.
Felipe and Lucas had a normal week of school and soccer. Brazilians have
moved on from World Cup to national competitions. School has brought a halt
on much of their fun as some soccer games are late in the evening and past
their bed-time, which Mommy cannot save them from as she is at school.
Derick had a good week. He enjoyed books Mom and Dad sent. He also enjoyed
spending the night at his cousins house.
Renata and I have been adding a ceiling to the house. A couple of pictures
of the living room show the difference. Mom and Dad will best note the
difference. I would mention that it has as provided a bit of insulation.
Though there is no insulation between the ceiling and the roof by trapping
the air a bit better we have felt the living room to be a bit warmer than
other areas of the house during our bitter cold winter nights. It may be
mental and not physical though. At any rate we have enjoyed the improvement.
After a long week Renata and I went to a small town south of Angra called
Paraty. Several of the pictures included are of our trip. Renata's
grandfather lives in this town and some other family as well. It is a lovely
town that has retained a historic district now full of bed-and-breakfasts
and restaurants. It is one of the location where we like to run away to when
we have only a day or two.
Jeff
The Virginia Lanes
This week has been normal! We finished our peacock blue,"legacy" rocking chair. Jeff had mutual on Wednesday and many hours of study through out the week. Julie is trying to enroll in an on-line course, but is having some difficulties with BYU's IT skills.
We have attached some pictures of the dinner that we had with our friends, rocking chair, gumbo, and the trip to NY.
The week has zoomed by. My sense of the family is that things have been really busy for some and a bit slower for others. I hope that you have enjoyed the weekly updates. Perhaps the biggest update is that we are just days from having Andy returning safely from Iraq!!!! Thank you Andy (and Melanie) for your sacrifice!!!
The Wisconsin Haws Family
We have had a productive week with the garden giving us tons of zuchinni, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes and green beans. We also spent one evening together as a family canning peaches. I enjoyed it a lot. I am not sure that everyone feels the same way about the peach canning experience.
Logan's chickens are growing very fast. This morning one of the birds was standing on top of the container he has been keeping them in. We realized that leaving them in the same container today will probably result in birds walking around the house while we were at church. So Logan and I put together a quick chicken coop as temporary measure. The real coop is making pretty good progress but it is not done yet. Logan is also looking forward to starting soccer practice in one week.
Emily started work this week at Chips fast food restaruant. She has found out that making cones is a bit harder than expected. Work is not her favorite activity but I am sure her first check will improve her outlook on the job. She has had some fun with friends this week. She is looking forward to school registration this week.
Lanette completed her work program at the daycare center. It was a good experience for her to work there. She is using some of her money to take the Elmhorst family out to dinner. I thought that was neat that she wanted to do something for someone else. She loves her cell phone and I am sure many of you have heard from her.
Grant told me that he had nothing for the family blog except for the fact that he "worked" this week. His flowers and trees have really ornamented our home. The porch has a number of flowers that greets our visitors. The trees are fairly well with some already growing more than a foot this year. We appreciate Grant's constant contributions to our home and life.
Mom has traveled to Janesville and back enough times this summer that she has a number of routes identified. On Thursday she went down to Janesville and stayed overnight so that she could break up the trip. She picked up Lanette on Friday and came back home. I asked her if she would like to consider going to the temple on Saturday. It was clear that another long road trip was beyond her body's capacity.
I have had a great week with many opportunities. Work has been challenging. I have been invited to play a new role in the residency training program supervising resident research. That will be a good opportunity. I have enjoyed taking care of some complex patients that keep me learning. I have enjoyed the blessing of the Holy Ghost directing me in my activities which has been the brought a great peace to me in daily life. Most of all I have enjoyed some wonderful time with my family. Mom and I took made a short date of getting a milk shake together. You all have a wonderful mom.
The Jackson's of Alberquerque
This week was very busy for Stacie as she worked to prepare for her new staff and all of the residents moving into the dorms. Almost every day she worked overtime and still had to bring some work home this weekend. Although it was very stressful, she is thankful for the time passing by quickly. This week Kevin looks forward to meetings at UNM to prepare for school, which starts on the 23rd.
On Monday, Kevin was able to lift weights with his friend, Cesar. Cesar has been really kind to Kevin and Stacie by loaning them tools to fix Kevin's bike and helping Kevin fix the car. It has been a blessing to have a friend who lives nearby. On Thursday, Stacie and Kevin assisted with an eagle project at the state fairgrounds. The scout's family offered them tickets to the state fair, which they look forward to using.
On Friday Kevin worked very late at the Y. After he got off work, Stacie & Kevin went out for a late night dinner at Denny's which reminded them of Provo. In Provo a lot of students will go out to IHOP or Denny's as soon as midnight hits on Sunday. It is crazy to see how packed the restaurants can be at that time. Afterwards, they then tried to catch the meteor shower but gave up and went home to bed. On Saturday Stacie worked on some more things for her workplace in order to prepare for the upcoming week. Kevin had to work through most of the day, but after he got off work they relaxed together and watched Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince.
Today Stacie & Kevin attended their stake conference. They enjoyed sitting next to a family from their ward, called the Crams. The Crams have been really nice to Stacie & Kevin. A few weeks ago Stacie & Kevin doorbell ditched cookies to their house. This evening Stacie has to go into work for a training orientation for her new staff members. This upcoming week they look forward to visiting with some friends from their BYU single ward and hopefully, taking a little time off from work.
News from Newport News
This week we have been busy going to the library and staying indoors to stay cool. Some exciting news is that Haley was able to tie her shoe all by herself, and Kayla has been miss speedy on her bike. The girls received a long waited package from their daddy which contained their cool Dora and Tinkerbell hats and camel necklaces. On Saturday we were able to make signs for Andy's homecoming. We have about one more week until Andy comes home! YEAH!
The International Haws Family
Dad and Mom,
This week was very busy. Our iPhone app has evolved to a universal app being
available for both iPhones and iPads. To add to the challenges it was a
Cocoa Report week, which brings much data maintenance so that Steven can
judge the markets. In the end I think that it was more stressful for Renata
than for me and she deserves an enormous congratulations for putting up with
me.
Felipe and Lucas had a normal week of school and soccer. Brazilians have
moved on from World Cup to national competitions. School has brought a halt
on much of their fun as some soccer games are late in the evening and past
their bed-time, which Mommy cannot save them from as she is at school.
Derick had a good week. He enjoyed books Mom and Dad sent. He also enjoyed
spending the night at his cousins house.
Renata and I have been adding a ceiling to the house. A couple of pictures
of the living room show the difference. Mom and Dad will best note the
difference. I would mention that it has as provided a bit of insulation.
Though there is no insulation between the ceiling and the roof by trapping
the air a bit better we have felt the living room to be a bit warmer than
other areas of the house during our bitter cold winter nights. It may be
mental and not physical though. At any rate we have enjoyed the improvement.
After a long week Renata and I went to a small town south of Angra called
Paraty. Several of the pictures included are of our trip. Renata's
grandfather lives in this town and some other family as well. It is a lovely
town that has retained a historic district now full of bed-and-breakfasts
and restaurants. It is one of the location where we like to run away to when
we have only a day or two.
Jeff
The Virginia Lanes
This week has been normal! We finished our peacock blue,"legacy" rocking chair. Jeff had mutual on Wednesday and many hours of study through out the week. Julie is trying to enroll in an on-line course, but is having some difficulties with BYU's IT skills.
We have attached some pictures of the dinner that we had with our friends, rocking chair, gumbo, and the trip to NY.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
August 8, 2010
From the Editor's Desk
Time seems to fly by. I was reading my journal entry of July 8th and realized how much has happened in the last month. I hope that the blog gives you the opportunity to look at your lives and what makes life wonderful as well as gives you the chance to share with all of us about things going on.
The Wisconsin Haws Family
This has been a pretty busy week for us here. Logan went to the opening meeting for sports participation at Columbus Middle School. He is very excited about the school, new friends and teachers. We think this will be great opportunity for Logan. The most exciting news for Logan is that six new chicks arrived at our home last Monday. He and Emily love to hold the chicks. We are working on the chicken tractor. It is coming right along and I hope that it will be done very soon. Logan got a job with Sister Delie to walk her dog, Mya. He is excited.
Emily went to girl's camp this week. Her big news this week is that she was hired to work at Chips Restaurant. She will be going in on Tuesday for an introductory meeting. This will be Emily's first employment opportunity.
Lanette has spent the week in Janesville. She was able to go with some of the other students to Navy Pier Amusement Park in Chicago. She was able to go on subway, water taxi, large spinning swing and much more. She really had a good time. On Saturday she was able to visit some people in the Janesville ward. This will be here last week of working this summer. She has done really well.
Grant has had an interesting week at work with Marshfield holding the Hunters and Trappers Convention. Wednesday he had his first shift managing on his own...and since the restaurant didn't burn down, it went well. Otherwise, not much for him in news this week.
Mom has been feeling a bit poorly but we were able to enjoy a special date together to Royal Tokyo and a family trip to the Big Eau Plaine for kayaking and a picnic. It was really a lot of fun to go out together on the flowage. I am hoping that we will be able to do that again. She is looking forward to doing a special sewing class next week.
I was really delighted to hear this week that Julie and Jeff and Stacie and Kevin were able to do temple work for our ancestors yesterday. Julie and Jeff attended the Washington D.C. temple and did sealings. Stacie and Kevin attended the Albuquerque temple and did endowments. I love to think about how joyous our ancestors were as they saw their work done for them. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The International Haws family
Dad and Mom,
Since we finally have computer access to pictures again I thought that I
would make up for time lost. I have set the images to a lower resolution
size so that they can be all included in a single email.
Pictures vary from your visit to a school party for Renata. There should be
a picture of Renata's newest nephew who arrived on Wednesday.
Beyond that life has been very normal. Kids are back in school, Renata as
well. Work continues challenging and exciting.
Jeff
Please review the many great pictures that Jeff and Renata sent this month.
The Albuquerque Jackson's
Stacie and Kevin had an enjoyable week. They played frisbee at the park, baked a cake to celebrate President Obama's birthday, and enjoyed what little time they had away from work. On Thursday Stacie learned that her best friend, Rowena Mensinger, was engaged recently. Stacie hopes to visit her for her wedding in Nauvoo at Christmas time, given that the weather doesn't prove it impossible. On Friday both Stacie and Kevin worked late. With residents checking in soon, Stacie finds herself endlessly busy at work. Kevin's work is much slower, however he often has the problem of working out schedules with other employees. Saturday was a wonderful day together. They replaced their bookshelf, attended the temple, and stayed up late watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Although the next few weeks will be very busy as Kevin begins school and Stacie becomes more and more busy at work, they look forward to the changes to their daily routine.
Newsport News
This week has flown by I can't even recall much of what we did this week. I took Haley to get her kindergarten physical, it is bitter-sweet that our little girl is growing up. The girls had fun at our community swimming pool where they were actually able to get wet, now that we don't have any casts on. I also took the girls to Kids Day at Fort Monroe. They had a wonderful time having the clown teach them how to make balloon dogs. Andy is training the new people that will be taking over their exercises in Iraq, because we only have 18 more days until Andy comes home. YEAH!
The Lanes of Virginia
Howdy! We have had a busy week here: Between creating a family goal chart, completing some goals, and reporting drunks we have been able to go on a date to see "Inception", attend the temple and hang out with some great people. Jeff and I decided that we wanted to work on somethings that have needed completion, but just have not gotten to it, so we made a chart to record what we have completed and when we have completed it by. So far we have studied some books, trimmed some waists and sanded some wood. We are hoping to keep this up- maybe not the wood for too long or we will end up with a bunch of toothpicks or a big pile of sawdust. Jeff has been getting a lot of studying in this week; which is awesome!! Julie is happy and sad. Happy that he is learning and sad because it cuts into "Julie's Hangout Time". Speaking of sanding wood. Julie is attempting to have a "legacy moment" where she carves a beautiful symbol into the chair. Instead of a sunset she is attempting a tree. Cross your fingers that she does not screw it up!!! Just so there is no question in anyone's mind- she is not wearing Eliza's wedding dress as she does it or screaming for "Richard".Tonight as we were coming home from an older couple's house where we had just stuffed ourselves on s'mores, lemonade and good company we spotted a drunk. For the twentieth time since we got married we have had to report a incident to the police. So far we have had to call in multiple noise violations, a burglary, a non-functioning streetlight (we got stuck at), a "high" driver and a drunk driver. We are becoming pro's, maybe we will both become cops someday when we grow up! Haha However to top that off - when we pulled up to our complex our new neighbor had his window open and was not wearing much- if you catch our drift. All we can say is that we are glad that we are have already put in our moving notice and we don't go out every night!!! Oh and we are excited because we figured out how to make some GOOOD GUMBO! Julie felt like she needed to watch "The Princess Frog" all week long! She loves that movie! For all who have not seen it you should because it is good!
Julie is having some health troubles so if you can remember her in your prayers it would be appreciated.
Time seems to fly by. I was reading my journal entry of July 8th and realized how much has happened in the last month. I hope that the blog gives you the opportunity to look at your lives and what makes life wonderful as well as gives you the chance to share with all of us about things going on.
The Wisconsin Haws Family
This has been a pretty busy week for us here. Logan went to the opening meeting for sports participation at Columbus Middle School. He is very excited about the school, new friends and teachers. We think this will be great opportunity for Logan. The most exciting news for Logan is that six new chicks arrived at our home last Monday. He and Emily love to hold the chicks. We are working on the chicken tractor. It is coming right along and I hope that it will be done very soon. Logan got a job with Sister Delie to walk her dog, Mya. He is excited.
Emily went to girl's camp this week. Her big news this week is that she was hired to work at Chips Restaurant. She will be going in on Tuesday for an introductory meeting. This will be Emily's first employment opportunity.
Lanette has spent the week in Janesville. She was able to go with some of the other students to Navy Pier Amusement Park in Chicago. She was able to go on subway, water taxi, large spinning swing and much more. She really had a good time. On Saturday she was able to visit some people in the Janesville ward. This will be here last week of working this summer. She has done really well.
Grant has had an interesting week at work with Marshfield holding the Hunters and Trappers Convention. Wednesday he had his first shift managing on his own...and since the restaurant didn't burn down, it went well. Otherwise, not much for him in news this week.
Mom has been feeling a bit poorly but we were able to enjoy a special date together to Royal Tokyo and a family trip to the Big Eau Plaine for kayaking and a picnic. It was really a lot of fun to go out together on the flowage. I am hoping that we will be able to do that again. She is looking forward to doing a special sewing class next week.
I was really delighted to hear this week that Julie and Jeff and Stacie and Kevin were able to do temple work for our ancestors yesterday. Julie and Jeff attended the Washington D.C. temple and did sealings. Stacie and Kevin attended the Albuquerque temple and did endowments. I love to think about how joyous our ancestors were as they saw their work done for them. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The International Haws family
Dad and Mom,
Since we finally have computer access to pictures again I thought that I
would make up for time lost. I have set the images to a lower resolution
size so that they can be all included in a single email.
Pictures vary from your visit to a school party for Renata. There should be
a picture of Renata's newest nephew who arrived on Wednesday.
Beyond that life has been very normal. Kids are back in school, Renata as
well. Work continues challenging and exciting.
Jeff
Please review the many great pictures that Jeff and Renata sent this month.
The Albuquerque Jackson's
Stacie and Kevin had an enjoyable week. They played frisbee at the park, baked a cake to celebrate President Obama's birthday, and enjoyed what little time they had away from work. On Thursday Stacie learned that her best friend, Rowena Mensinger, was engaged recently. Stacie hopes to visit her for her wedding in Nauvoo at Christmas time, given that the weather doesn't prove it impossible. On Friday both Stacie and Kevin worked late. With residents checking in soon, Stacie finds herself endlessly busy at work. Kevin's work is much slower, however he often has the problem of working out schedules with other employees. Saturday was a wonderful day together. They replaced their bookshelf, attended the temple, and stayed up late watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Although the next few weeks will be very busy as Kevin begins school and Stacie becomes more and more busy at work, they look forward to the changes to their daily routine.
Newsport News
This week has flown by I can't even recall much of what we did this week. I took Haley to get her kindergarten physical, it is bitter-sweet that our little girl is growing up. The girls had fun at our community swimming pool where they were actually able to get wet, now that we don't have any casts on. I also took the girls to Kids Day at Fort Monroe. They had a wonderful time having the clown teach them how to make balloon dogs. Andy is training the new people that will be taking over their exercises in Iraq, because we only have 18 more days until Andy comes home. YEAH!
The Lanes of Virginia
Howdy! We have had a busy week here: Between creating a family goal chart, completing some goals, and reporting drunks we have been able to go on a date to see "Inception", attend the temple and hang out with some great people. Jeff and I decided that we wanted to work on somethings that have needed completion, but just have not gotten to it, so we made a chart to record what we have completed and when we have completed it by. So far we have studied some books, trimmed some waists and sanded some wood. We are hoping to keep this up- maybe not the wood for too long or we will end up with a bunch of toothpicks or a big pile of sawdust. Jeff has been getting a lot of studying in this week; which is awesome!! Julie is happy and sad. Happy that he is learning and sad because it cuts into "Julie's Hangout Time". Speaking of sanding wood. Julie is attempting to have a "legacy moment" where she carves a beautiful symbol into the chair. Instead of a sunset she is attempting a tree. Cross your fingers that she does not screw it up!!! Just so there is no question in anyone's mind- she is not wearing Eliza's wedding dress as she does it or screaming for "Richard".Tonight as we were coming home from an older couple's house where we had just stuffed ourselves on s'mores, lemonade and good company we spotted a drunk. For the twentieth time since we got married we have had to report a incident to the police. So far we have had to call in multiple noise violations, a burglary, a non-functioning streetlight (we got stuck at), a "high" driver and a drunk driver. We are becoming pro's, maybe we will both become cops someday when we grow up! Haha However to top that off - when we pulled up to our complex our new neighbor had his window open and was not wearing much- if you catch our drift. All we can say is that we are glad that we are have already put in our moving notice and we don't go out every night!!! Oh and we are excited because we figured out how to make some GOOOD GUMBO! Julie felt like she needed to watch "The Princess Frog" all week long! She loves that movie! For all who have not seen it you should because it is good!
Julie is having some health troubles so if you can remember her in your prayers it would be appreciated.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
From the Editor's Desk
August is here. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere we are seeing the approach of fall while Jeff and Renata are seeing the approach of spring. I am sure that Andy would love to have fall come early to Iraq as he weathers the 120 degree temperatures while we here in Wisconsin have been enjoying a beautiful summer with plenty of green and rain to water our garden, trees and flower beds.
I want to invite you to see our ever updating family genealogy. Please feel free to add information for your family. You can see our site by going to www.new.familysearch.org and using the username: rmhaws and password: rmhaws1957. You can see our by clicking on the second tab- me and my ancestors. I appreciate each of you that has helped with getting the temple work for our ancestors waiting for the ordinances of salvation.
The Wisconsin Haws Family
Yesterday we attended the baptism of Marie Taylor. For those of you that remember the Taylor's know that when they moved to Marshfield Marie was a young preschooler. It is amazing to see her growing up so quickly. After the baptism Logan had the opportunity of going with the Taylor's to swim, kayak and have a great time. It was nice for Logan to have the opportunity to be with friends.
Emily is preparing to go to girl's camp. She will be a YCL and will be the over the fourth year girls. She is preparing various treats for them. She has been working on getting a part time job. That has proven to be a real challenge. Unfortunately the economy in Central Wisconsin has not rebounded. This week a major factory in Marshfield announced a job reduction and sending jobs to Mexico. That will hurt.
Lanette has a cellphone! I am sure that most of you know that already. She is so excited. She loves all the different ring tones that Mom has set up for her. Her favorite of course is Grant's ring tone. It is a rooster call. Grant loves to wake Lanette by calling her fondly "chicken butt" while jumping on her bed.
Grant has had another rather uneventful week at work. There is progress on his management training, although things are still up in the air where he will rank amongst the managers. He is supposed to have an interview with the Senior Vice President of the company and that will determine where he will fit into amongst the managers and what his pay will be. Otherwise, not too much excitement.
Mom has been the traveler this week. She has gone back and forth to Janesville for Lanette in addition her usual taxi driving. Mom and I had the pleasure of taking Grant out to eat on Friday. The restaurant we went to had some problems but you could not ask for better company.
I have been pretty excited about the ongoing family history work. That is why I suggested you visit the website I cited. I have been able to identify more names of our ancestors with the hopes of your assistance with getting the work of salvation done for them. I have felt the spirit guide me in directing my searches. In addition to my usual activities I have been working with Logan on the chicken coop. I will send you a picture when it is finished.
News from Newport News
The most exciting news this week is that Kayla got her cast off! She is now having fun splashing at the pool and in the tub. Not to mention the smell of her arm is way more pleasant now that we are able to wash it. The girls and I have been busy going to the library, Virginia Living Museum, the beach, water park and exploring different playgrounds this week. Andy seems to be doing well but has had a lot of extra taskings put on him. We only have about 3 half more weeks until he should be home!
Mom and Dad were able to speak with Andy on Saturday night/early Sunday morning. It was great to see him on Skype and talk with him. It was a delight to hear him laugh. We are really looking forward to his safe arrival back with his family.
The Jacksons of Alberquerque
For Family Home Evening on Monday, Kevin and Stacie decided to sneak some cookies to a ward member's home. Stacie drove the getaway car and Kevin was the designated "cookie-dropper-offer." They look forward to doing some more doorbell ditching this week. On Tuesday they looked forward to performing some family history work at the temple, but unfortunately Kevin had to stay late at work. However, they were able to perform endowments during the last session of the day on Wednesday. The session was unique because it was held in Spanish. On Friday, Stacie was very busy at work. Since summer conferences are beginning to end she is busy preparing the customer service desks that she supervises for the fall students. Kevin looks forward to beginning school at the end of August.
On Saturday, Stacie and Kevin walked to a nearby park and tossed around a frisbee. In the afternoon, just as Kevin needed to leave for work the rain really picked up. With monsoon season the weather has been pretty crazy in Albuquerque. It rained very hard for a while, but after a half hour it didn't look like there was any rain at all. So Stacie thought it was safe to visit a woman she visit teaches that just had surgery on her knee. After the visit, she headed off to do some grocery shopping and as she left it was pouring again! The worst part is how deep the water gets on the road near their house. Seems like there is more water in the streets than in the nearby arroyos.
Saturday evening, after Kevin came home from work they had a "Potter Party" to celebrate J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter's birthday. They enjoyed making treats and watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire together.
The International Haws Family
Dad and Mom,
We spoke quite a bit during the week and I suppose you may know plenty of our activities.
Tomorrow is Lucas’ birthday. He is excited as 12 makes him more of an adolescent and less of a child, or so he suggests. Today much of the family has come for cake and ice cream. Some fun birthday habits in Brazil are never waiting until your birthday to open presents and friends like to break raw eggs on your head making a nasty mess for moms to clean up.
Winter vacation has come to a close and Monday brings the joy of school, even if the joy is felt only by two of us. The kids are ready and Renata will continue in her evening classes as well.
Work has been fulfilling but hectic. Having both Matthew and Steven to keep me busy has provided for a more stable load and eludes to possible transitions though much remains in the murky vision of future.
Jeff
The Lanes of Virgina
This week we had FHE on Monday- we worked on sanding a rocking chair some more. Julie got her blood drawn on Friday for her medical issues. She has been working hard on trying to figure out what is wrong. We will see what comes up with that test. Saturday Jeff had the first weekend in a while where he wasn't working nor traveling. Hallelujah!!! Julie had a baby shower for a friend of ours, who lives in the complex we will be moving into this fall. While she was there, Jeff was at her apt helping her husband set up a playpen and a swing. We did a themed gift of food. The package included plates, sippy cups, place mats, baby spoons, and a Rubber ducky with the letter "M" (they said they will be naming the new baby Mya) that Julie stiched together. After the Shower on Sat we went to another party for a family that was moving out of our ward. They are the family that gave us eggs on Sundays for free. Weather wise the week started off hot and now is about what should be expected for Sept~Oct, but is looking for a heated revenge this upcoming week.
August is here. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere we are seeing the approach of fall while Jeff and Renata are seeing the approach of spring. I am sure that Andy would love to have fall come early to Iraq as he weathers the 120 degree temperatures while we here in Wisconsin have been enjoying a beautiful summer with plenty of green and rain to water our garden, trees and flower beds.
I want to invite you to see our ever updating family genealogy. Please feel free to add information for your family. You can see our site by going to www.new.familysearch.org and using the username: rmhaws and password: rmhaws1957. You can see our by clicking on the second tab- me and my ancestors. I appreciate each of you that has helped with getting the temple work for our ancestors waiting for the ordinances of salvation.
The Wisconsin Haws Family
Yesterday we attended the baptism of Marie Taylor. For those of you that remember the Taylor's know that when they moved to Marshfield Marie was a young preschooler. It is amazing to see her growing up so quickly. After the baptism Logan had the opportunity of going with the Taylor's to swim, kayak and have a great time. It was nice for Logan to have the opportunity to be with friends.
Emily is preparing to go to girl's camp. She will be a YCL and will be the over the fourth year girls. She is preparing various treats for them. She has been working on getting a part time job. That has proven to be a real challenge. Unfortunately the economy in Central Wisconsin has not rebounded. This week a major factory in Marshfield announced a job reduction and sending jobs to Mexico. That will hurt.
Lanette has a cellphone! I am sure that most of you know that already. She is so excited. She loves all the different ring tones that Mom has set up for her. Her favorite of course is Grant's ring tone. It is a rooster call. Grant loves to wake Lanette by calling her fondly "chicken butt" while jumping on her bed.
Grant has had another rather uneventful week at work. There is progress on his management training, although things are still up in the air where he will rank amongst the managers. He is supposed to have an interview with the Senior Vice President of the company and that will determine where he will fit into amongst the managers and what his pay will be. Otherwise, not too much excitement.
Mom has been the traveler this week. She has gone back and forth to Janesville for Lanette in addition her usual taxi driving. Mom and I had the pleasure of taking Grant out to eat on Friday. The restaurant we went to had some problems but you could not ask for better company.
I have been pretty excited about the ongoing family history work. That is why I suggested you visit the website I cited. I have been able to identify more names of our ancestors with the hopes of your assistance with getting the work of salvation done for them. I have felt the spirit guide me in directing my searches. In addition to my usual activities I have been working with Logan on the chicken coop. I will send you a picture when it is finished.
News from Newport News
The most exciting news this week is that Kayla got her cast off! She is now having fun splashing at the pool and in the tub. Not to mention the smell of her arm is way more pleasant now that we are able to wash it. The girls and I have been busy going to the library, Virginia Living Museum, the beach, water park and exploring different playgrounds this week. Andy seems to be doing well but has had a lot of extra taskings put on him. We only have about 3 half more weeks until he should be home!
Mom and Dad were able to speak with Andy on Saturday night/early Sunday morning. It was great to see him on Skype and talk with him. It was a delight to hear him laugh. We are really looking forward to his safe arrival back with his family.
The Jacksons of Alberquerque
For Family Home Evening on Monday, Kevin and Stacie decided to sneak some cookies to a ward member's home. Stacie drove the getaway car and Kevin was the designated "cookie-dropper-offer." They look forward to doing some more doorbell ditching this week. On Tuesday they looked forward to performing some family history work at the temple, but unfortunately Kevin had to stay late at work. However, they were able to perform endowments during the last session of the day on Wednesday. The session was unique because it was held in Spanish. On Friday, Stacie was very busy at work. Since summer conferences are beginning to end she is busy preparing the customer service desks that she supervises for the fall students. Kevin looks forward to beginning school at the end of August.
On Saturday, Stacie and Kevin walked to a nearby park and tossed around a frisbee. In the afternoon, just as Kevin needed to leave for work the rain really picked up. With monsoon season the weather has been pretty crazy in Albuquerque. It rained very hard for a while, but after a half hour it didn't look like there was any rain at all. So Stacie thought it was safe to visit a woman she visit teaches that just had surgery on her knee. After the visit, she headed off to do some grocery shopping and as she left it was pouring again! The worst part is how deep the water gets on the road near their house. Seems like there is more water in the streets than in the nearby arroyos.
Saturday evening, after Kevin came home from work they had a "Potter Party" to celebrate J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter's birthday. They enjoyed making treats and watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire together.
The International Haws Family
Dad and Mom,
We spoke quite a bit during the week and I suppose you may know plenty of our activities.
Tomorrow is Lucas’ birthday. He is excited as 12 makes him more of an adolescent and less of a child, or so he suggests. Today much of the family has come for cake and ice cream. Some fun birthday habits in Brazil are never waiting until your birthday to open presents and friends like to break raw eggs on your head making a nasty mess for moms to clean up.
Winter vacation has come to a close and Monday brings the joy of school, even if the joy is felt only by two of us. The kids are ready and Renata will continue in her evening classes as well.
Work has been fulfilling but hectic. Having both Matthew and Steven to keep me busy has provided for a more stable load and eludes to possible transitions though much remains in the murky vision of future.
Jeff
The Lanes of Virgina
This week we had FHE on Monday- we worked on sanding a rocking chair some more. Julie got her blood drawn on Friday for her medical issues. She has been working hard on trying to figure out what is wrong. We will see what comes up with that test. Saturday Jeff had the first weekend in a while where he wasn't working nor traveling. Hallelujah!!! Julie had a baby shower for a friend of ours, who lives in the complex we will be moving into this fall. While she was there, Jeff was at her apt helping her husband set up a playpen and a swing. We did a themed gift of food. The package included plates, sippy cups, place mats, baby spoons, and a Rubber ducky with the letter "M" (they said they will be naming the new baby Mya) that Julie stiched together. After the Shower on Sat we went to another party for a family that was moving out of our ward. They are the family that gave us eggs on Sundays for free. Weather wise the week started off hot and now is about what should be expected for Sept~Oct, but is looking for a heated revenge this upcoming week.
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