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Sunday, September 18, 2011

September 18, 2011

News from the Lane's

This week has been a little quieter than most for us. The baby is getting stronger and stronger- we cannot wait until we start seeing those feetsies and handsies! It seems like the weeks are just flying by! We only have approximately 16 weeks left until he comes to join us. We are working really hard on trying to find a name that we fee really good about, but so far nothing seems to be fitting him. Julie was able to eat a little beef this week which made her day because she really misses real home-cooked meat! Jeff has been missing it too! Poor guy!

Jeff has been working on helping Julie to get some stuff done on her online class this week. He has also been enjoying the football season-even if BYU cannot figure out how to score for their own team and Texas A&M is not showing theirs on TV.he is looking forward to the possibility of seeing a&M play next Friday.Saturday he went with Julie to shoot some guns. the baby did not like the sound of the magnum so she spent some time watching from inside the car. Tonight, he went to a priesthood meeting.

Julie finished the baby quilts this week and made some head way in her online course. the baby shower invites went out this week so you women should all be getting one :) even if you cannot come. Julie's belly is getting huge although Silvia Aadmot- Ma & Pa's friend said today that Julie does not look like she is gained anything while others seem to agree that she is getting huge. I guess it does vary with the position the baby is in- since it likes to hide Silvia may have been close to right :)

The Wisconsin Haws Family

We have had a pretty unremarkable week here in Wisconsin. We have been noticing the cooling temperatures and the change in the leaves. I have pretty much finishing harvesting the garden but Grant's pumpkins keep ripening.

Logan was home a few days ill. Emily has had the sniffles but did not have to stay home. Part of that may be due to the heavy load she is carrying. I think that she is worried about getting behind. Lanette continues to have mixed feelings about school here. Somedays she wants to go back to the School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Mom and I have been in the process of deciding about replacing the roof on the house. It is not a small cost but we realize that my patching jobs probably are the best solution. Speaking of home repairs, I tried to replace Grant's ceiling fan last night. That was not very successful. Pray for my success tomorrow!!!

The Jackson's of Albuquerque

This week Kevin and Stacie had a little scare. At Stacie's doctor appointment on Tuesday the doctor was unable to locate the baby's heartbeat. It was a very scary moment. The doctor pulled out an old ultrasound machine built in the 1970s and struggled to locate the baby and the baby's heart. Stacie became very very anxious as the doctor searched for several minutes. After finally locating the baby and the baby's heart, Stacie's doctor was still concerned because she couldn't measure the speed of the heart rate. Luckily, the doctor was able to work with an ultrasound technician so that Stacie could have an ultrasound (with a modern machine) right away. Thankfully, the technician was able to locate the baby and the baby's heartbeat right away.


After that rollercoaster ride, the week was fairly quiet for Stacie and Kevin. On Friday night they went out to 5 Guys Burgers & Fries and then played a bookstore game searching for their favorite books on various subjects. Stacie was excited to purchase more baby books. They have sent in some pictures of their date night. On Saturday they enjoyed shopping at the new Goodwill center that opened near their house. They purchased several picture frames to decorate their nursery. They also visited Hobby Lobby where Stacie was excited to pick up some tools to make some baby quiet books. In the evening they enjoyed watching "The Ghost Writer" together.

Monday, September 12, 2011

September 12, 2011

The Lane's of Virginia

This past week has been busy with achievement days, temple trip activities, and visiting friends.

For achievement days we took magazine pictures and adjusted clothes to make them modest. The lesson was on "why are we modest?"

We went to DC on Saturday. We wanted to go to the Smithsonian but ran out of adequate time to get there and to the temple, so we went to IKEA and found some cute monitors, bowls and plates for baby for under 10 in total! IT was awesome! We then went to the temple and found that Jeff had left his church shoes, temple clothes and the person's name he was doing work for at home. Thankfully, when Julie went to get into her temple bag she found a male name card that needed the endowment done and was able to get it to Jeff in time. It was a nice session. Afterwards we strolled through Toys R us, but did not get anything since they were so overpriced. Yet they had an awesome parking place for us (see picture). We then topped off our day going to Olive Garden on a gift card we got at Christmas. It was a fun trip.


Sunday, we went to a friend's home to chat with them in the evening. We enjoy talking with the couple often. They also gave us some of their son's old clothes; which we appreciate very much.

Grant's News

Grant had a busy week at work, he has had more closing shifts and that is both a good and bad thing. More money, but very worn out feet from running around constantly. On his day off this week Grant started harvesting the pumpkins that were ripe. He got sixteen pumpkins and still has a handful growing. He is also excited to start getting bulbs to plant in the garden that will grow in spring. Not much else is going on for Grant. He is looking forward to the cooler weather this week which will allow him to hike through the marsh, mosquito free.


The Jackson's of Albuquerque

Stacie & Kevin enjoyed getting to spend extra time together on Monday for the Labor Day holiday. They stopped by a local bookstore and then swung by a new pizza place they hadn't tried. Of course, they loved it. It's pizza! They then stopped over at Old Navy to purchase some new pants for Kevin, who was in desperate need for some new ones. Stacie was excited to find a Star Wars lunch box while they were in line. Since purchasing it she has had many compliments, including from her bus driver.


On Tuesday they returned to work and school. Kevin has enjoyed sharing his office space with his friend, Nick. They have spent their down time creating sling shots and designing catapults. Stacie was excited to meet a goal on a work project. On Saturday Stacie & Kevin ran errands and visited the bookstore once again. They were excited to purchase a monkey puppet and a book for their baby, as well as a medieval literature book for Kevin. Stacie was also excited to work on some sewing this weekend. She looks forward on making lots of crafts for their baby.


Today Stacie gave a talk in sacrament meeting. After church Kevin and Stacie received callings in their new ward. Kevin will be serving the Webelos and Stacie will be assisting the ward council in planning ward activities. Later in the afternoon they enjoyed some small hikes up in the Sandia Mountains with their friend, Nick.

The Haws Family of Colorado and Afghanistan

This past Monday I took the girls to the Labor Day parade in Fountain where they made a little friend. We miss going to things like that so it was nice to go to a small town celebration. On Tuesday Haley went back to school while Kayla spent all day playing with Emma. Wednesday Haley had an early release day which she was excited about because she was able to play with her friend Sydney for a couple of hours. Thursday Haley received a Cougar Card from school because she was being a good example by walking quietly in the line. Good job Haley! On Friday we went to a barbeque at the park for a family at church that will be moving to Alaska in a couple of weeks. The girls had a lot of fun playing at the park with all of their friends from church. I really enjoyed being around good people. On Sunday Haley gave a talk in primary on missionary work. She did a very good job and reminded all of us that we all are missionaries to everyone. Andy is doing well even though had to give up half of his room because he finally got a roommate.

The Haws Family of Wisconsin

This has been a tragic week in the Haws home. My Mazda officially died just short of 292,000 miles. I was fortunate to have two sisters from our branch bring me home after the tragic demise. We had all been at the temple and fortunately one of the sisters felt impressed that she should follow me to make sure I made it safely home. In return for their kindness I took them out to dinner.

Logan had a good week. School is in full swing and so is soccer. His team won one and lost one. He is becoming a very accomplished player. He is hoping to add more chickens to his flock this coming week. Unfortunately his egg delivery business had a setback tonight after a fall.

Emily is just as broken hearted about the demise of the Mazda as me. I am determined not to buy a new car until I can pay cash for the car. Emily would prefer looking now for a car. I may be forced to change my resolve after the snow begins to fly. Emily is challenged by her AP classes but she is studying hard and we are proud of her efforts. Emily took her ACT test this last week. We are cheering for her to do well.

Lanette has continued to enjoy school. At school today there was a bomb threat. We thought that Lanette would be quite upset. Luckily she was across the street at Tiny Tigers when the threat was identified. Nevertheless she did great. Lanette join Mom, Logan and me to attend the temple on Saturday. We did a lot of temple work which was great. Lanette has not be as afraid of the water as she was years ago. It is hard to image the difficulties I had with baptizing her 9 years ago.

Mom and I had the pleasure of taking Lanette and Logan with us to attend the temple. It was extremely busy at the temple on Saturday, probably the busiest day in my recall. That was great. We have enjoyed the pleasure of having a surgical residency applicant in our home this weekend.

We hope you will have a wonderful week.

Mom,

Sunday, September 4, 2011

September 4, 2011

The Wisconsin Haws family

Mom has worked very diligently to move Angela's remains to Marshfield. Finally after about ten months of effort Mom picked up her casket in Minneapolis on Thursday. We hope to dedicate her final resting place here in Marshfield tomorrow afternoon. It will surely bring a peace to Mom and me.

Logan's huge excitement this week was the Central Wisconsin Fair. His favorite hen won first place in her class. When Logan and I walked into the chicken area there must have been 100 or more pens. At first Logan thought his hen took third place. When he realized it took first place you can only imagine how happy he was. He did not leave the area for 45 minutes as he kept coming back to look at his hen and the blue ribbon. I sent a text picture to many of you. I hope you enjoyed it. As an added piece of joy Logan earned his second class rank in Scouts. He is anxious to complete his first class soon. He is only two requirements away.

Emily started her senior year this last week. She is taking 5 AP classes. She seems to be ready for the challenge of this year while at the same time she is looking at colleges. She has enjoyed driving my car some days to school and likes the added freedom of not having to wait on a ride or to beg a ride from a friend.

Lanette started this week at Marshfield High School. She is enjoying her classes which includes a gym class and choir class (personally arranged by Mom). She is reading a book sent by the Wisconsin State Library for the Blind. That is a big deal since Lanette gets very attached to books and does not want to send them back. She is learning however that being willing to send the books back permits her to read some other books she really wants to read. I think it is going to work out well.

Mom has enjoyed a few get-aways with the start of school. One was the trip to Minneapolis to pick up Angela's casket. The other was a lunch at a favorite restaurant on Friday with Grant and me. She is anxiously shopping now for Julie and Stacie in a effort to try and make their lives special. She is very excitedly looking forward to the coming of two new grandchildren and our hope that our three grandsons will arrange in the States soon. Of course, she always is excited to have news about our two lovely granddaughters in Colorado.

I have enjoyed my week with challenges at work. I really do love nephrology and new cases are a lot of fun. I have wonderful patients that bring a smile to my face. One little boy is nearly two years old. He received a kidney transplant in January from his dad. He has curley hair and a funny little smile. Right now we are dealing with a nasty viral infection in him but despite that he just comes into my office and makes me grin. This virus is dangerous because it has the potential to create malignancy. He is showing signs of clearing the virus and with that clearance the risk of cancer wanes. This week I was able to buy a new bike. It is great. I love to ride it. I will send a picture soon.

Grant's News

Grant worked a lot at the restaurant this week, thanks to other folks being gone for school, Labor day weekend, and the fair. Although the long hours and closing shifts wear him out, he is thankful that he is starting to be seen as an important part of the team at the restaurant. As a result of the cooler weather, Grant's pumpkin patch is progressing rapidly. He has 15+ pumpkin out there and they are quickly turning orange. The pumpkin vines have grown into a thicket that runs along the side of the house, so Grant is going to have to dig through the tall grass to find all the pumpkins. He is very excited for the fall season and especially that now it is only about a month until he will be going to see Stacie and Kevin in Albuquerque.

The Jackson's of Albuquerque


This week Kevin and Stacie fell into their "fall semester groove." The week was spent commuting to work and school, working hard, catching up on homework, and spending evenings reading. On Tuesday, Stacie was happy to convince Kevin to take her to the bookstore so she could purchase the rest of the Hunger Games series. On Thursday, they experienced a big downpour of rain. While waiting to cross the street to get to the bus stop, Stacie was able to pull Kevin away from the curb just in time as a bus passed and shot a high wall of water across anyone standing close enough.

On Friday they went out to dinner together and then enjoyed walking around Barnes and Noble. Kevin found a book that he has been searching for called "The Lost Books of the Odyssey" and Stacie was excited to purchase "The Monster at the End of This Book" for their baby. On Saturday they started off their day by searching the many different Goodwills to find some new pants for Kevin. They ended up doing a full loop of the city and then found themselves at the mall near their house. They decided to eat lunch at Fuddruckers, a hamburger restaurant with a dangerous name. They really enjoyed the food and the chance to stop by the nearby pet store to see the dogs and cats. When they came home they were surprised to have received two packages at once. They were very thankful to Mom for sending some gifts and to Chandra for sending some Canadian hot chocolate, among other things.

Thank you to our sweet mothers and soon-to-be our baby's grandmas!


News of the Lane's of Virginia

This week, as Dad mentioned in a previous email, Jeff passed a ginormous test!!! About 60% percent of test-takers for this exam fail, so he did very well. We were very proud of his efforts!
On Thursday, was the long awaited moment to find out if we would be seeing trucks, dinos or footballs verses barbies, makeup and cuppy cakes. If you have not heard-the trucks, dinos and footballs will be lying in wait for our upcoming years.We are excited for the boy, but unsure what to call him since all the favorite names have been taken yet I am sure we will prevail. We have attached some pictures if you did not get to see them. I think the baby looks like Jeff- beware one of the pictures is really scary as the baby moved and it does not have all that cute baby fat yet on its bones. :) In the mood for Halloween???

After our doctors appointment on Thursday we went to IHOP to celebrate with friends.
Friday, Jeff worked late and then we enjoyed the first football game of the season.
Saturday, I took a sewing class, which led to Jeff and I buying some fabric for a double sided quilt and a night outfit for our future son. Julie then spent most of the day working on the quilt while Jeff enjoyed some football! See pictures of her work so far!
Julie

The Haws Family of Colorado



This week has been very busy for us. On Tuesday Haley had back to school night and we were able to see some of the things that she has been doing in school. On Thursday Kayla had her back to school night at her new school. The classrooms seem a little bigger but the building that they are in does not have an air conditioner so it makes the room extremely hot. Luckily Kayla goes in the mornings so it is a little cooler. On Friday we went to my friend’s house for her daughters first birthday. I was shocked because Haley at some cantaloupe there and actually liked it. Cantaloupe is another thing that I can now put on the grocery list of what Haley will eat! On Saturday we went to Haley’s best friend Sydney’s 6th birthday. The girls had a lot of fun playing with Sydney and the others. I on the other hand had a good time associating with the other adults although her mother is from Germany so everyone that was there beside me and two others were speaking German. I forgot to mention that Haley has had two spelling tests in school and has gotten 100% on both! Andy again is doing well and just trying to stay busy. I have his new address and again if you are planning on sending him anything please remember that he is not able to bring anything back due to the lack of space in his bags that he needs to bring home with him.


SSG HAWS, ANDREW
USCENTCOM-CCJ4
USFOR-A, RD
APO, AE 09365


Updates from Jeff and Family

I had the pleasure of talking with Jeff today. He enjoyed his birthday. One of the presents was paying for Matthew and him to go to Valley Forge and take a bike tour. They are planning their trip now. I hope they will enjoy it. Matthew has become a wonderful friend and co-worker to Jeff. It is fun to see them together. Between the two younger Haws boys they have given Uncle Steven a lot of new energy and I sense the business is blossoming. That is an unusual thing in this day and age of economic uncertainty. But considering the uncertainty that probably helps push clients Steven's way.


Renata has been ill with a respiratory condition such as asthma. I hope that it will settle down as they relocate to the US. I suspect it may do much better. All the rest of the family is doing well. We sure hope that they will be here by Christmas!!!



Monday, August 29, 2011

August 29, 2011

Please keep Jeff in your prayers. He is taking a difficult and very important exam on Tuesday.

The Lane's of Virginia

This week has mostly been filled with hours and hours of study.


There was an earthquake here, but the mountains shielded us quiet nicely. We did get to go camping on Friday. We left early due to the fact that we could not sleep and the toilets there we worse than going in the bushes. Luckily, it turned out to be a good call because Hurricane Irene's rain and wind hit us pretty hard. So we were fairly nice and dry all day long.


Tonight we had a spontaneous lasagna dinner outing at the park with some friends! That was quite nice!


Julie

News from Grant

It was a very slow week at work for Grant. With such nice weather and school starting next week, he suspects people are more interested in grilling at home than going out to eat. This coming weekend is the Central Wisconsin state fair and that will surely kill business as well. When at home Grant has been heckling the children about school starting. The pumpkins he grew this summer are starting to turn orange, which is perfect timing because the flowerpots on the front porch are dying down.


The Haws Family of Colorado and Afghanistan/Qatar

This week went by so fast that I can’t remember what we did besides a few things. Although it went by fast the best part of the week was being able to see Andy on Skype. He looks really good and is staying busy. The girls were very, very excited to talk to him. We are so grateful for modern technology. Haley had a few rough days at school, first losing her jacket which was found by her teacher, then the next day breaking her glasses on the playground. I am just thankful that we paid the extra $25 for insurance it was well worth it. The girls have been trying to beat the heat this week by playing in a tub full water (because it takes too long to blow up the swimming pool) and playing with water balloons. I also signed up Haley up for soccer which will be starting in the middle of September.

The Jackson's of Albuquerque

This week Kevin started off a new semester. He is already swamped with lots of homework, plus preparing for the classes he now teaches. However, he enjoys his students and the opportunity to work on campus. Stacie and Kevin started riding the bus to and from UNM. They are very happy to no longer pay the high prices for parking passes and gas. On Tuesday Stacie had to leave work because of the strong paint fumes in the building. She spent most of the afternoon getting paid to read Harry Potter in a nearby building. Needless to say that it was her favorite day of work yet.


On Thursday, Stacie volunteered to help judge for an event put on by her department called Olympiad. She enjoyed watching the on-campus residents play silly games, like one where they had to spin around with their foreheads on a bat which caused them to fall over repeatedly when trying to run back to their home bases. On Friday they completed some much needed grocery shopping and then returned home to watch some of their favorite television show, How I Met Your Mother. Late Friday night Stacie finished her summer reading of Harry Potter and started out on a highly recommended series, The Hunger Games. On Saturday Kevin worked on preparing a talk he was assigned to give in church about living a balanced, gospel-centered life while Stacie caught up on reading and sleep.

The Haws Family of Wisconsin

Everyone is excited for school to start. No one is more excited than Logan. Logan will have his first day on Tuesday. This coming week is Central Wisconsin Fair. Logan has entered one of his chickens in the fair. He has helped out set up pens and spread out hay. He has come to really love animals. He is also practicing for the soccer team. Practices start at 6:30 am so he is up early each day.

Emily has been having a lot of fun with friends as the summer comes to a close. She has been taking senior pictures this last week. Her friend, Mariah Kolts, has taken some really nice pictures that she has posted on Facebook.

Lanette had a great weekend at the Elmhorst family. She was able to participate in a birthday party for two of the Elmhorst grandchildren. She was able to go swimming and use a hottub as well. Needless to say she really enjoyed herself.

Mom has worked to get everything in order for the first school day. She is always looking for a way to make everyone's life better. Mom and I enjoyed putting up corn for the coming year. It was fun to work side-by-side with your mom. I was pretty proud of the corn in our garden. Tonight we enjoy corn on the cobb from our garden. That was great.

I was able to attend the temple on Tuesday night. I had an outreach clinic in Eau Claire which is about half way to the temple. After seeing my patients I drove to the Twin Cities. I arrived late to do an endowment session but even better than that, I was able to participate in the sealing of 7 of your ancestors to their parents. I love the promises of the temple. I frankly do not understand the power of those covenants but I sense in them a force that exceeds my most wonderful dreams.

Monday, August 22, 2011

August 22, 2011

I am sorry to get so far behind on the blog. We had a wonderful vacation to visit Jeff followed by visiting Julie and Jeff. I need to be off to work soon so I will give you details on our vacation in a later entry. I am sending now the news from our family spread throughout the world. Love Dad

Stacie' & Kevin's

8/15- 8/21

This week was a busy week for both Kevin & Stacie. Kevin spent the week in orientation preparing him to teach an introductory English course. For Stacie, the week was busy preparing and assisting with resident move-ins. However, they both enjoyed spending their evenings going out to dinner and watching movies together. On Thursday, Stacie lead out on a big project for work that she has been preparing for all summer. She was happy to see it succeed. On Saturday, Kevin was willing to come volunteer for her event, which she really appreciated. In the evening Stacie & Kevin had dinner with their friends, Jeramie, Clare, and Colleen. They were also joined by Kevin's professor, Dr. Domico. They enjoyed grilling and playing games all evening. They also enjoy playing with their friend's bulldog, Mycroft.

8/8- 8/14

This week was a busy and eventful one for both Kevin and Stacie. On Monday they enjoyed dinner with friends and then spent the evening helping Kevin pack for his trip to visit his family members in Utah. His brother-in-law, Brent, graduated from BYU this week with a Bachelor's in Geography. On Tuesday Stacie dropped Kevin off at the airport and then headed over for her first ultrasound appointment. Attached are pictures of their baby at 13 weeks. She was very happy to have the first opportunity to hear her baby's heartbeat, confirm that there is only one baby in there, and see a glimpse of their little one.


On Wednesday Kevin hiked to the Y with his dad. He enjoyed several opportunities to go hiking with his dad this week and looks forward to hiking more when his dad comes to visit in October. On Thursday he attended Brent's commencement ceremony and on Friday he attended the convocation ceremonies. He had another opportunity to go hiking with his dad and with his cousin, Cory. They hiked up Stewart Falls, which was beautiful with the cold waterfall at the end. In the evening his family enjoyed dinner at Tucanos, much to everyone else's jealousy (especially Stacie's). Meanwhile, in Albuquerque Stacie went to a doctor's appointment and then enjoyed a quiet evening at home scrapbooking.


On Saturday morning Stacie went out to a salon to get her haircut. She was looking forward to a bold transformation and certainly got it! Attached are pictures of her new haircut that is at least 10 inches shorter. She loves her new look and looks forward to taking less time to get ready in the morning (which Kevin surely appreciates too). Meanwhile, in Utah Kevin visited Salt Lake City with his family. They attended the Joseph Smith film and were surprised by some changes to the film. They also were able to walk around temple square and attend an organ practice in the old conference center.


Today Kevin was sad to leave his family, but happy to return home to Albuquerque. Stacie was very happy to have Kevin back home. They look forward to Kevin's last week before school begins.


Julie' & Jeff's News


This week has been busy with studies for Jeff's big test on the 30th. He has been working very hard on it and is beginning to see some good steps. We are hopeful that it will continue through the test. He is also hopeful for a possible management position that is opening up at his work since he is one of the senior employees with all the requirements, except one which he will have in a week most likely, that if it does open up he would be a leading candidate.


The baby's news is that it danced to "Coldplay" this week. Jeff and Julie got some gyros for their date night. All Julie has to say is... lamb.... YUM! OR pineapple pizza.. oh divinity! Although taco salad, at today's linger longer, was not such a good idea since it sent her running for the closest trash can in a crowded room.


Julie went to help her friend, Linda, at the fair with a special Olympics booth on Wednesday. Jeff joined her after his studies and had fun with the lively environment.




On Saturday, they went to an enchanted birthday party for their friend's 1 year old. They got some fairy wings and a knight's breast plate that went with the the theme of the fairy tea party. They were also graced with a phone call from Lanette whom was greatly concerned for the urgent need to use the bathroom, even though the closest bathroom they could get for her would be located in VA!



With many new move ins-in the ward Julie's primary and achievement day girls have grown quite large with more prospects to come. Apparently, James Madison University is extending its LDS population by hiring more and more professors that are moving into our ward. We are hopeful of it turning into the next BYU really soon! Although the dating pool here just got smaller since one of the three LDS boys here just got engaged to a new member. Emily is sure to get a few LDS professors when she comes out her next year!


Grant's News

Grant was excited to have the family get home this week from their vacation. The house was getting creepy so quiet. Plus, without Molly, rabbits were overrunning the yard. Work at Hudson's is going well, Grant is getting better shifts and is getting to know the other servers better. Unfortunately a bunch of servers are quitting with the start of the new school year, so he is sad that some of the people is has started enjoying working with won't be there soon.

Andy' & Melanie's News

8/15- 8/21

On Monday we went to meet Kayla and Haley’s teachers. Haley told me that she is old now because she is in first grade, as for me she is still our little Haley even though she is growing up quick. She started school on Tuesday and Kayla started Pre-K on Wednesday. They are both excited because we are carpooling with their friend Emma. Now that Kayla is going to school in the mornings I have a three hour break without kids. You would think I would be able to accomplish more things during that time but I have found myself getting very distracted when it comes to accomplishing tasks especially exercising. Andy moved from Kabul, Afghanistan this weekend to Qatar and the weather is extremely hot about 100-130 degrees and 100% humidity. He has to set up a shop from scratch because USAOF-A fuels have never set one up there before. Although he is in Qatar, he will be spending the majority of the time in Afghanistan doing the same job as before.

8/8- 8/14

This week the girls and I were soaking up the last few days of summer vacation. On Tuesday I was able to enjoy a session at the Denver temple while Haley and Kayla went to the zoo with their friend Emma and her family. On Wednesday we went to the library and then to the park with Haley’s friend Sydney. Haley has been a very good missionary to Sydney by telling her about primary and inviting her to church. She hasn’t come yet but we hope she will be able to come with us soon. It is truly amazing how a little child can have such a big influence on others. On Friday the girls and I spent the day at the Splash Pad with Sydney and her family. I was surprised that the girls actually wanted to stay for longer than one hour because the weather was not as warm as what it was forecasting. On Sunday I was grateful that Brother Stewart took my class while I went into the primary to hear Haley gave her talk. I heard from Andy on Monday, he said that they are going to be moving from Kabul so the address that I sent out last week is no longer the address for him. But when I get the new address I will send it out to everyone.

Jeff' and Renata's News


Our week went well.

I confess that I do not have a lot of news. Felipe. Lucas and Derick all sound well. Renata also appears to have enjoyed her week.

Today is father's day in Brazil. So to all the father's and especially the becoming fathers congratulations are in due.

Elsewhere know that we are well and wish the best to all.

Love,

Jeff


PLEASE REMEMBER THAT IT IS JEFF'S BIRTHDAY ON THE 31ST!!!!




Sunday, August 7, 2011

August 7, 2011

News from Melanie and the girls and news from Afghanistan

These past two weeks have been busy for us. First of all, the most exciting thing that happened was Haley and Kayla received a package from Andy that contained a jewelry box and a necklace for both. Haley told me that she is going to wear the necklace all the time to remind her of daddy. Even though they received the package, they still look in the mailbox everyday to see if he had sent them another one.

They were glad because I finally let them get their ears pierced. Haley did well, but the gun jammed when they were trying to pierce Kayla’s ears but Kayla was a trooper and let them finish.

I also took them to the end of summer party at the library where they had activities for them to do.

On Saturday we went to a birthday party at the splash pad. This time they actually liked playing in the water unlike last time we only stayed about ten minutes. Good thing it is free!

Andy is doing well and staying busy of course. I do have his address which I will include, but he has asked me to let everyone know to please not send anything that will require him to bring home because he already has four bags that he has to bring home with him and does not have any more room.

SSG Haws

USFOR-A/NKC

J-4

APO, AE 09356

News from the Haws Family of Wisconsin


Our family has been on the road this week. Emily and Logan flew out on Monday. Emily went to Palmyra for the especially for youth program. She had a wonderful time at EFY and made many new friends. She promised some pictures that I will add to the flickr account.

Logan flew out to Virginia to join Julie and Jeff. They have had a wonderful time. Julie has spent a lot of time planning out activities while Jeff has been a great big brother to Logan. They were able to go the Washington DC temple yesterday to do work for our ancestors.

Lanette came along with Mom and I on our long distance drive. We have had an enjoyable time. We had enjoyed the opportunity to go to Kirtland, Ohio. There is a special memory for Mom as we visited your ancestor's farm (Isaac & Lucy Morley). They were wonderful examples of faithful saints that sacrificed so much. We went on to Palmyra and then on down to Bethlehem, PA. In Palmyra Mom and I were able to attend the temple and do some of the temple work for ancestors. It is a beautiful temple so close to the sacred grove. Jeff has been a wonderful host to us. On Saturday evening we dined with Uncle Steven, Aunt Dona and Matthew. Today we were treated to a wonderful dinner and conversations at Matthew and Ginny's home. They have three adorable children. Tonight we had a skype conversation with Renata and the boys.

Tomorrow we will be heading off to Philadelphia. It is great to be able to enjoy time together.


From Jeff
It has been nice to have Mom, Dad, Emily and Lanette here.

News from home has been positive. Renata was able to collect and send the documents that I need to proceed with immigration papers this week.

Felipe's news is that he is enjoying life. He has been trying to surf, but the water is just a little too cool just yet for that. Skateboarding is a good second, but gets pushed aside by girls who apparently are the ultimate first.

Lucas has been playing soccer very well. He is participating in some special tournaments that are being watched heavily by professional scouts. Last week was also his 13th birthday that was met with much fun and excitment.

Derick is happy. He continues to play and have fun day after day. Life never seems to let him down. His comment was that it is not that cold and that if Felipe won't get in the water he will.

Renata appear to be well. She has sent some pictures that I have loaded to the Flickr account.

As for myself all continues well at work and I have enjoyed being up here.

Jeff

Monday, August 1, 2011

Updates to July 31st blog contribution

I am adding a picture and note from Julie and Jeff as well as pictures from Grant. Enjoy.

The Lanes of Virginia

Congrats to the new future parents!

The last few weeks have been preparing for the family, tests and other obligations. We are looking forward to all who are coming.

We have our next doctors appointment this week so hopefully we will be able to tell you all the gender next time. Jeff painted a changing table that we got from a friend. It now matches a rocking chair that we made last summer for our former apartment deck. (see picture).

Jeff has been working really hard on an upcoming test preparation.

Julie