Newton Notes

July 18, 2011

The Office

If you read my last post, then you know that Joe has been working a TON lately. So when he asked if Maddie and I wanted to go to work with him last Monday, I was not exactly ecstatic. However, he quickly reassured me it would be an "easy day" at the coast and we'd have time to do some fun stuff. Well, he is a man of his word and he did not disappoint. Beautiful, secluded timberland. Growing trees. Vibrant flowers. The beach. Jack chasing birds. Fish tacos. Fish and chips. Salted caramels. Sunshine. And best of all, quality time with my favorites. Here are some pics from our surprisingly awesome day at Joe's "office" and Maddie's first time at the beach :)

The hottest forester around!

Take your daughter, wife and dog to work day :)

Do you think Jack likes going to work with Joe?

Pretty fox gloves

Joe's work truck

Blue skies

That's a lot of trees!

And they're growing nice and big :)

View of Coos Bay from Lone Rock's land

Jack excited for the beach!

Family photo op

LOVE his crimpy ears and blonde eyelashes

My sweet babies

Happy Jack :)

The clouds burned off and it turned into a beautiful day in Coos Bay

Jack hunting for birds...

Found some!

And he's off! A day at the beach is not complete until Jack gets to chase birds :)

July 8, 2011

4th of July Weekend Recap

Man, life has been busy as usual these last few weeks. Joe has been getting up at 3am for work and working 11-12 hour days. When he's not busy with that, he has been working on a huge DIY yard project that quickly escalated out of control. (Separate post to come on that bad boy.) As you can imagine, between 12 hour work-days and weekends spent working on our yard, that doesn't leave a lot of energy left to do much else.

So, I have been taking care of Maddie and managing the homefront a lot on my own these past few weeks. (A big thanks to my mom who came down to help out for a few days!) In addition, I am in full swing coaching summer soccer practices and camps. Keep in mind that I bring Maddie with me to most of these practices by strapping her into her baby carrier, so the label "working mom" has already wiggled its way into my life despite the fact it is my summer "break".

Needless to say, we welcomed the long 4th of July weekend with open arms. A break from work, house projects, and chores in general, couldn't have come at a better time. To celebrate our nation's Independence Day, we escaped to one of our favorite destinations with some of our favorite people. We had a blast in Sunriver hanging out with Jessie, Matt, Nicole, Grant, Rachael and Adam. We hiked, rode bikes, swam, hot-tubbed, played games, and of course, FEASTED... a lot. Bacon and beer were in the regular rotation and among the favorites on the menu, in addition to burgers and brats. What better way to celebrate our great nation's independence day?

Maddie's future dance teacher, Jessie :)

Cutest little patriot I've ever seen!

Mama-to-be practicing with Madeline

What a natural

Love this kiddo like crazy!

Beautiful Tumalo Falls

Happy hikers

Jessie and Matt

Nicole, Grant, Olive and Baby Simmons in belly!

Our little family :)

Group photo of our hiking bunch!

View of Mt. Bachelor and the 3 Sisters from our hike near Paulina Peak

June 28, 2011

Saturday Nights

All of you Portlanders reading this might wonder what we do for fun down here in the 'Burg. Well, to be honest, our options are pretty limited. No Blazers or Timbers games. Very few shows, concerts, or festivals. The restaurant selection is very limited and we never "go out" to bars, as they are quite depressing down here in Douglas County. We try to save movie nights and board games for the 8 months a year when the weather is terrrible, so you might be wondering what we do during summer nights. Well, we hang out outside. A lot. BBQ's and evening walks dominate our agenda, and more recently a fun ATV outing at a family friend's mountain. (Yes, down here people can own mountains.) Here are some pics from our friend's own personal campground, lake and viewpoint at Nickel Mountain, the largest nickel producing mountain in the entire country! (Little fun fact of the day there for ya...)

My little girl and I

Grammy Kathy and Miss Madeline

Jack was in HEAVEN with the lake

Jonas and his daddy

Yes, his shirt says "gangsta" on it and is referring to Roseburg. A college football teammate from inner-city LA made this for him. Awesome, I know.

Time for a sunset ride to the top of Nickel Mountain

My crazy driver!

Windy and cold at the top, but so worth it for the view!

Joe is really good at self-portraits

There... that's better!

So pretty

Love this one :)

Weekend Visits

In the last month we have had the chance to visit with some of our favorite people, both to the north and to the south. Early in June, I went up to Portland and squeezed in time with all of my favorite ladies. My wonderful hostess and I got to spend the whole weekend together, and we had so much fun just hanging out, walking around Portland, and of course squeezing in a few baby-related activities. (Love those baby legs, thanks Auntie Nicole!) To recap the weekend, on Friday we met Merissa and Mo for lunch and walked around the pearl afterwards. Saturday I helped one of my oldest friends, Jessie, at her studio's annual dance recital. To wrap things up, on Sunday I celebrated the graduation of a fellow teacher and great friend as well. I LOVE my visits to Portland and am always sad to leave, but I was excited to return home to my man who couldn't make the trip up do to work (boo).

Auntie Nicole makes me smile big!

I can blow bubbles now

Baby legs project

Good thing my auntie can sew since my mama can't!

Nicole, Baby Simmons (in belly), Maddie and I :)

The following weekend we went down to Central Point to visit Jessie, Lukie and Wyatt. We were looking forward to one last visit before they became a family of four, but were delighted by the serendipitous timing as Jessie went into labor just as we arrived! The next morning Jessie gave Luke the best father's day gift a guy could ask for- a beautiful baby girl. While Jessie and Luke were at the hospital with Rowan, Joe and I had a practice round as our own little family of four while watching Wyatt. He is so much fun but a HUGE ball of energy! And although we are looking forward to having more kiddos one day, we decided we'll stick with one for at least a little while longer :) Congrats to the Newton-Neal family on the addition of beautiful baby Rowan!