HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY AMERICA!

4th of July ... has to be one of my favorite holidays. This year we stayed in town and kept it pretty simple. We were able to get in all the 4th's activities; a parade, hot dogs, playing in water, and of course, fireworks.

For the parade, we went to my parents' neighborhood. The town of Fairview Police & Fire department put on a great show--at the end of the parade, the fire truck extended out it's ladder and made it "rain"... and the kids loved it--it reminded me of New York where the firemen in Harlem would turn on all the fire hydrants to let the kids play & cool down. It was hot when we started the parade at 10:00, it had already reached 90. While the kids played in the water, we sat in the shade & enjoyed food & stuff.



Taylor opted to just watch the kids and keep dry ... although impossible in this humidity :)

Rachel & Taylor represented on the scooter ...



Kate and I watched the local fireworks from our house ... I set up my camera and tripod to try and get some good shots--I learned how to shoot fireworks at my latest photography class. I set it up, but Kate took all the pictures ... she had a ton of fun--she took dozens of shots, and after each one she would say, "oh dad, this is beautiful ..." Here are a couple that turned out pretty good.



Oh, question to the Jewkes family ... does this count as my "journal writing" for the week??

BC

GARY JEWKES FAMILY REUNION

Breckenridge, CO
To see more pics, CLICK HERE (Flickr Photostream)









This semi-annual Family Reunion brought all 42 of us to Breckenridge, Colorado for a few days this past week. My parents have eleven children and 19 grandchildren and we all stayed in one 10-bedroom house! Needless to say, there was ALWAYS something going on. We managed to squeeze in some structured activities- and this is no small thing when you are dealing with such a huge crowd- Whitewater Rafting, Family Bike Rides down Vail Summit, Family Olympics, Kickball, Breckenridge Shopping, Family Hikes, and tons of fishing (note the river about 10 feet from the cabin). The scenery was amazing and so was the company- especially after the kids went to bed! Thanks Mom and Dad for making it happen and giving us such a great reason to get together.

KATE TURNS FOUR ... GIDDY UP!

11 Girls, 2 Ponies, One Trampoline, Pizza and Cake always make for a fun 4th Birthday! Happy Birthday to our not-so-little LoveBUG!!







Kate turned 4 at the beginning of June and requested a Horsey Party...so, thanks to Nana and Papa, her wish was granted! We invited all of Kate's good friends as well as some pretty cute ponies- one of which was pulling a real carriage! The girls started by decorating a foam cowgirl boot with stickers, followed by a crazy time (imagine eleven 3 and 4 year olds) jumping on the tramp and then well, the best part- RIDING THE PONIES!! Once the horses arrived, the girls would not let them out of their sight. I gave each girl a bandana upon arrival so they were all cowgirled up and ready to ride. After the horses left, we had pizza and a cute horse-shaped cupcake cake. I just asked Kate what her favorite part of the day was and this was her list: 1. The Carriage 2. The Horsey 3. The Cupcakes 4. All of my friends 5. My presents. Yep, that pretty much sums it up. We Love You Kate!

P.S. more pictures to come ...

SUMMER IS HERE ...

We went boating this afternoon with Nana and Papa on their boat. I don't think Kate's smile faded the entire time, or at least not until she passed out on the way home. Papa let her drive the boat "all by herself" and she was in heaven. Taylor could not be found without her sunglasses- she had the rockstar personality to go with the look too. She was not intimidated one bit to hop on the tube with Daddy, even after Kate was too scared to go first. After the girls rode the tube, then Brian and I got to go together- a little alone time!! Looking forward to lots of boat trips this summer!

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DECORATE?

We got ourselves a new couch last week, but we're not sure if the wall color is right, the color of the couch is a very light tan and the walls are just a few shades darker...we are thinking of an olive green or something in that color family...do you have any ideas??? Brian and I are going to try and get it done this weekend and we'll post after-pictures. Would love to hear your opinion ...

BIKE RIDE TO FAIRVIEW ...

We decided to go on a family bike ride out in Fairview on Saturday morning. Brian loaded the girls up in the Burley (the "carriage") and we rode out to a beautiful neighborhood nearby. On the way there, we stopped to feed the horses some carrots. Mommy did most of the feeding though- I think the idea of the girls coming in such close contact with a horses' mouth was just a bit intimidating- uh, and gross.

Later that day, we went out for ice-cream and made a fun stop at a pet store to see the animals. We had to drag Taylor out of there, kicking and screaming! She did not want to leave. Then, we came home and broke out the sprinklers for the girls to run around in. Afterwards, we made cookies and watched a movie together on our new (hooray!) couch.

Too cute to photoshop ...

the "ADRIATICA"

This afternoon I took the girls out to lunch while Rachel attended a baby shower. After lunch, we explored a new place across the street from the McDonald's we ate at (always a healthy choice w/ dad) ... it appears to be a Croatian/ Mediterranean-inspired development complete w/ a hotel, shopping, living, etc. It was fun to photograph ... off from the future hotel was the beginnings of a small vineyard that the girls named "the secret garden" (3rd picture down).

About 30 minutes into our self-guided tour (and blocks from our car) the girls decided they couldn't walk any further and that they needed their mom. The trip to ADRIATICA (McKinney, TX) was a little short-changed, but we'll be back--and next time it will be legal (we had to hop over a couple of fences to get in some parts). Enjoy.




The "secret garden", or the only "hill" in Texas, right off the freeway.

Kate is embracing her calling as my model ... either that or she's itching her legs from the grass we trail blazed.

AT THE POOL

Just a couple shots of some swimming from this past weekend.

COMING TO THEATERS IN 2009

For those who don't know ... I take part in a race every year called Hood to Coast ... a scenic relay race that starts atop Mt. Hood and ends at the beach (Seaside, Oregon). I run for the North American Distance Sprinters or the N.A.D.S., captained by Brett Davis or "Head Nad."

This year, Film for Thought, Inc. is making a documentary film about the race ... much like "Spirit of the Marathon" for all those who had the chance to see that film in theaters.

We have a shot at being part of the film ... but for now, we'll settle for being in the trailer. This is my way of plugging Hood to Coast ... it's by far the best race out there!