We've had a lot of fun over the last week with all the family in town. We had Grammy C over for dinner on Wed. night. Thursday we were up at GrandBob's and Lelly's house for the feast with the Vidal's and Shaheen's. Friday we were back up at Lelly's so the cousins could wear each other out again. Saturday was spent recovering from the previous days. We did a bit of X-mas shopping on Sunday, but were done in by noon as I had played a soccer game Sat. night (my first real excercise in 3 weeks...a bit sore the next morning).
Thanks again to Nate and Bre for allowing me to embarrass myself with Rock Band. I blame it all on Captain Morgan. It was great to see a live hockey game again even though the Sharks won. At least the Caps scored twice so I was able to stand up amidst the sea of teal and cheer in my bright red Ovechkin jersey.
Aloryn hasn't moved from this spot in 3 days
This was the only time we had the chance to take a picture when the cousins were not running around
4 Generations featured in this photo at the baby shower for Lili. Great Grandma Cuthbertson sits next to Jamie, Great Grandma Nuti holds Lili.
Its been 1 month exactly since Lili's heart surgery. She's got her first battle scar and only 2 months old. Lili has fully recovered and the pediatrition is very pleased with her weight and size. Jamie is also doing well as I am very proud of how well she has handled everything. Big sister Aloryn is really taking to Lili, as she brings her blankets and checks on her in the crib.
YaYa (Les's mom Judy) holds Lili during a 'trick or treat' visit.
Great Grandma Cuth has 5 children, 9 grand children, and 8 great grand children.
Ahhh September...the birthday month. Happy belated birthday wishes to Uncle Nate and Liliana on the 9th, Uncle Seth on the 12th, Grandma Leslie on the 15th, Jeff on the 17th, and a boat-load of Jamie's relatives throughout the month. Thank you to everyone for the cards, phone calls, dinners, and support given to us during this very busy time. Jamie is recovering very well and spends much of her time directing me on the proper ways to run the house-hold while the baby is stuck to her. Apparently I'm not supposed to put the good knives and pots in the dishwasher. I'm also not supposed to cram as much as I possibly can into the washing machine either. And swimming in the dog pool with Marty does not qualify as Aloryn's bath. Aloryn is doing well at pre-school and swimming lessons. Her adjustment to becoming a "big sister" has gone better than expected. We are very proud of her. We look forward to seeing all of you very soon.
Proud Grammy Carolyn Aloryn ignores Uncle Nate's advice about dating and what guys like Lost in thought "Guns...lots of big, shiny guns" Mommy and big sister are very exhausting "Sexaaaaay"
We would like to introduce our newest member of the family.
Liliana was born on Sept. 9th at 8:35pm. She weighed in at 6 lbs 14 oz and measures 18 inches long. Both mom and the baby are doing well, however we are all sleep deprived. We checked into Carson Tahoe hospital at 10 am Tues. morning and began the induction process around 11a. Jamie received an epidural at 3pm and was ready to push at 8:20p. 10 pushes and 15 minutes later Lili came out screeming. We stayed the rest of the night in the hospital and were discharged the following morning around noon. Family support has been wonderful and no one seems more excited than big sister Aloryn.
We spent the 4th of July at Twin Lakes, up near Bridgeport in California. At one point there were 31 of Jamie's closest family members together...in one spot...for 4 nights...with 7 kids...in the hot sun...and me. We had a great time and really look forward to next year.
The big June bug..."Wow!"
A brief quiet time
A new friend
Lake water bath
"Super Baby!!!!"
Mom and cousin Dana are really not as sweet as they appear
Uncle Ben gets a face lift from his son Nicholas
Uncle Ron found the steak sauce and Mom celebrates!
Happy Mother's Day! Thanks to everyone for coming to our home and providing lots of fun. I think we had about 25 people in and out throughout the afternoon. Nate and Bre joined us from San Jose. Aunt Linnea, CQ, and Elani came in from Sacramento. A special thanks to Dave and Brandi for bringing baby Riley over so the Iverson girls could get their baby fix in. The weather was just about perfect, plenty of sun and a light breeze. The slip'n'slide, kiddy pools, and water balloons kept the kids busy the whole time. Thanks to Linnea for letting us ambush her with water balloons. It was hilarious to see Nate wipe out on the wet lawn while Nea chased him with water bottles. We also found out Alyse and Tim can throw a mean horseshoe, while Larry and Seth are a danger to fences and landscaping.
Nate and Mickaela toss the shoes
Aloryn, CQ, Elani, and Nicholas test out the slide
A conversation with my mother will drive even the strongest to drink. (Bre claims she is protecting my Corona from Aloryn. I told her it was safe since Aloryn prefers Newcastle)
Grandpa Larry and Tim talk about the good ol' days when they played sports in high school with no pads and better referees.
GrandBob and Uncle Nate dodge shrapnel as Lelly tells them how delicious dessert is.
It's a Girl!!! We just found out today via ultrasound that our new bundle of terror is another girl. The baby was very active inside mom's tummy during the ultrasound. Along with lots of fingers and toes, we got to see the prominent "Howell" chin. We do have a name picked out, but will not announce until the birth. Early September is the targeted arrival time. I'm going to have to add a male dog to the family at some point so I don't feel so out numbered.
The next round of hockey playoffs is upon us. A couple surprises came from the first round, but mostly everything went as planned. Sadly the Caps are out, but they will be back for sure next year. I really thought the Senators would show some type of fight, considering they were last year's Eastern champs, but the Penguins dispatched them quite easily. The same can be said for the Ducks, they got completely outplayed by the Stars. Also, Marty Brodeur and the Devil's really showed poorly as they got out worked by the old Rangers. The best hockey games out of the first round happened between the Sharks/Flames and Avs/Wild. The Sharks and Flames really battled it out, just check the video on Sarrich's hit on Marleau. The Sharks were finally able to bury a few consecutive goals in game 7 to seal the deal, but they will have a serious battle on their hands with the Stars. The Avs and Wild played very exciting up and down hockey, trading shot for shot. Theodore was better than Backstrom and that was the difference. It's a good thing Theodore is used to seeing a ton of shots because the Wings love to pepper goalies. Jeff's first round pick record: East 1-3 West 3-1 .500 eh, not very impressive
Second Round Matchups - East: Penguins vs. Rangers The Pens high powered offense destroyed the Senators. The Rangers have a better defense and are much more physical. The Pens are also very fresh and ready to go. The Rangers easily handled the Devils poor offense, but they will see a whole new attack from the Pens. The Pens have shaky goal tending, but the Rangers have a shaky defense. If the Rangers forwards can keep scoring and hitting, then they will make this a long series. The Rangers are old and the Penguins are not. Pens win 4-2 Canadiens vs. Flyers It took the Habs 7 games to get rid of the Bruins, thats 3 more games than it should have taken. I think the Canadiens were thinking about the second round while still playing the first and accidentally let the Bruins win a couple. The Canadiens won't let that happen this round. The Flyers barley escaped the Capitals and as a result are very tired and beat up. I expect the Flyers to play with a ton of emotion, but they will hit a brick wall. The Canadiens are firing on all cylinders, all their lines are scoring. Only Danny Briere is scoring for the Flyers. This series won't be close. Canadiens win 4-1
West: Red Wings vs. Avalanche If it wasn't for Dan Ellis standing on his head, the Wings would have crushed the Predators in 4. The Wings offense is generating a ton of shots, which usually means a lot of goals. The Avs are also generating a ton of offense and scored more goals than the Wings did. However, both teams style of play does allow for counter attacks. The Wings are use to this and rely heavily on skilled d-men to regain control of the puck. The Avs are not used to this style of play and rely on Theodore to hold down the fort. If the Avs can out muscle the Wings and cycle the puck then they can win this series. If the Wings can actually put the puck in the net then the Avs are doomed. This will be a good series. Wings win 4-3 Sharks vs. Stars This should be the best series of the second round. Both teams are big, skilled, disciplined, and well balanced. I was surprised at how well the Stars defeated the Ducks, especially since they beat them at their own game. The Ducks just didn't show up to play, the Sharks will be a different story though. Roenick has put some emotion into the boring Sharks, which is what they finally needed in order to outplay the Flames. Like the Flames, the Stars will also play with a lot of emotion. This series will come down to who wants to win more. Both teams have good goalies and play good team defense. Special teams will also be a huge factor, the more power plays will = more goals. Stars win 4-3
It's still daylight when I get home from work, I can wear shorts all the time, I can do more things outside with the family, but what really matters most is........Playoff Hockey!!! Woohooooo!!!! (Aloryn claps excitedly)
The NHL year has been very entertaining. Alex Ovechkin is by far and away the most exciting player ever. He is a pure goal scorer with an unreal passion for checking, skating, passing, and team commitment. Ovechkin will win league awards for MVP, Most Goals, Most Points, and probably one of the lesser awards. Lidstrom will deservedly win another Norris for best d-man, he is the standard by which all other d-men are measured. Evgeni Nabokov will win his first Vezina for best goalie (as much as it pains me to give credit to a Shark).
Now onto the playoff matchups. There are gonna be a few dog fights and there will most certainlly be at least one upset. I'll start with the East: (1) Montreal hosts (8) Boston - The Bruins are really not very good, but they are very lucky. The Canadiens won the season series 8-0. Enough said. Montreal wins 4-1
(2) Pittsburgh hosts (7) Ottawa - The Sens are still a really good team despite their playoff position. The Penguins have good players but can't play well as a team. The more I watch Sidney Crosby play, the more of a whiney baby he is becomming. This series goes the distance with an Ottawa upset. Sens win 4-3
(3) Washington hosts (6) Philadelphia - The Caps won their #3 spot by winning their last game of the season. Ovechkin has taken a team that was in last place in the east in January into the playoffs, he is that good. Philly has some good players and a decent team, but their goal tending is not good. The Caps are hot and win 4-2
(4) New Jersey hosts (5) New York - Brodeur is the greatest playoff goalie of all time. Jagr is absolutely the worst team captain ever. The Rangers are old, the Devils can't score. I really don't care about either of these teams, but Brodeur is the only goalie I have respect for. Devils win 4-2.
The West: (1) Detroit hosts (8) Nashville - The Wings play the best hockey in the league. They pass, control the puck, play the best defense, and score the most goals. They are the most fun team to watch. The Predators are the complete opposite. The Preds have a lot of heart, i'll give them that, but Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Lidstrom have way too much skill and experience. Wings win 4-1
(2) San Jose hosts (7) Calgary - I am very excited about this matchup because I hate both teams more than anything. These are 2 teams full of stupid, dirty, over payed and over rated players. I hope both teams kill each other for 7 games. Brian Campbell was the best trade deadline pickup and he will be the difference. Sharks win 4-2
(3) Minnesota hosts (6) Colorado - Aloryn points her thumb down, blows a raspberry and blurts, "Booooo Avs!!!" Both these teams matchup really well. Good goal tending, solid d, high powered goal scorers. I actually like the way the Avs are playing (it hurts for me to say that), but they are playing with passion and desire, which is very un Avalanche like. Avs win 4-3
(4) Anaheim hosts (5) Dallas - The Ducks are another dirty team, but they are the defending cup champs so that makes them dirty and lucky. The Stars have good d, like to play dump and chase, force turn-overs, and all-in-all play a very boring game. The Ducks have too much experience and will bully the Stars around. Ducks win 4-0
We had a wonderful time watching the kids collect eggs and play around the pond. The Easter Bunny did a terrific job of providing the children with a large supply of sugar. Fortunately the weather was perfect so we spent most of the time outside. Aunt Linnea and cousins Crysanthe and Elani were visiting from Sacramento. Aloryn really enjoys playing with her cousins, so much so, that every time we tell her we are going to visit Grandbob and Grandma Lelly she says "Santhe? Lani?" Judy and Father S also came up to watch the excitement and join us for the turkey dinner. Aloryn also received a belated birthday party, including a "shoes" themed cake and presents.
Next Year we're hoping the Easter Bunny fills some of the eggs with other goodies like grapes or carrots.
Santhe and Elani help unwrap gifts.
The Sit 'n' Spin was a big hit.
Obviously someone has been hanging out with Aunt Bre waaaaaay too much.
Elani learned the hard way not to leave your basket unattended, especially around Lelly.
Aloryn is very impressed with the "shoe" cake.
Kate, Liza, Riley and Marty also enjoyed bumpers and swimming.
Back at home, Aloryn rides her new bike from Mommy and Daddy.
Welcome to the update of our new blogspot! After viewing Nate and Bre's spot we figured it would be the best way to update friends and family about our lives. You all know us very well, but we will give a brief recap about ourselves. Jeff is 31 (at least Chris is older) and will probably be the one who updates this site the most. Jamie (who wishes to remain anonymously young) spends most of her time baby wrangling. Aloryn (who will be 3 on March 7) is the proud big sister of Liliana (3 months). They are the center of the universe and the greatest reasons for this blogspot. The last member of our family is Marty, the most tolerant of yellow labs on the planet, and who will be 35 in dog years on May 27.
