Lincoln City, Oregon 2008

My First Plane Ride

On Sunday, July 13, 2008, Jake stepped into an airplane for the very first time. He flew for over two hours from Phoenix to Portland, Oregon, for our annual family trip and he did pretty well. He cried for about 10 minutes during our descent into Portland and was wanting leave his seat most of the time, but he also watched movies and even slept for a little bit.

4th of July

Waiting for sunset.


Dancin' with grandma


Enjoying his first snowcone. (Strawberry I'm sure)


Watchin' "the rockets red glare..."


"and bombs bursting in air!!!"


Jake spent his second 4th of July watching the fireworks at the Yuma Golf and Country Club only this year he was able to stay awake the whole time. He had a blast running around on the practice green and listening to the band. He never seemed to get tired and enjoyed the neon glow rope and his first snow cone. We weren't too sure how he was going to react to the fireworks, but as you can see he just sat in mom's lap and stared in amazement. We sure loved watching him play with all of the other kids.

Recent Pictures

The following are just some recent pictures of Jake. He is growing like a weed and seems to really enjoy his days at school. He is babbling more than ever and is learning new things everyday. Although we can't quite figure out what he is saying most of the time he is eager to show us exactly what he wants. We now need to be careful when the phone rings because Jake always thinks its for him. And, if we don't let him have the phone, we're in for a fight. The scooter he's riding was borrowed from a friend and Jake loved it. Seems you can't push him fast enough (I think we have a daredevil on our hands). He liked it so much that after his bath he didn't even bother to get dressed before hopping right back on.

1st Day of School

Monday was bittersweet for Johnna and I as Jake began his first day of daycare. Johnna dropped him off and was very worried that he would have a hard time when she left him. Suprisingly, he didn't even notice she had left. He did very well throughout the day and was sent home with a little progess note that told us what he did during the day. The highlights were "He was a great eater" and "He is a little young yet for arts and crafts. He seemes more interested in tasting the crayon than coloring with it." We can't wait to see what fun activities and crafts he'll bring home in the future.

Toast and Bananas to start the day.



Getting ready to leave.



Anxious to get in.


Signing in for the first time.


Jake running away as the other kids arrive.

Holy Flathead!!

A friend of mine is a Wildlife Manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department and he was recently performing electro-surveys along the Colorado River down here near Yuma when they "shocked up" this monster flathead. I was told that it weighed in at 89.4 pounds (once they got it on shore to weigh it). This is 15 pounds heavier than the current state record for a flathead caught on "hook and line."

"Where'd you say you let that thing go?"

We Miss You

Well its been one year since Pop passed away. Seems like only yesterday I got to see his wonderful smile, hear his joyful laugh, and share a seat in the golf cart. It seems that we run into people all the time that say they think about Pop on almost a daily basis. He had so many wonderful friends and enjoyed life like no one else. No matter how dark and dreary one day may seem the next always started with a smile for Pop. His laugther was contagious and his smile could brighten any room. Pop had a knack for recalling funny events and was able to tell stories better than anyone I know. He made friends everywhere he went and was always the first one to buy a round. This world sure lost someone special when Russell Byrd passed away and we are all happier people having known him.

love you Pop.