April 2008 - The Big 40

April arrived and so did another set of adventures for our family. The first one, on April 2^nd, just 2 weeks after his first birthday, Kelan started walking. He loves his new skill and is enjoying walking around and exploring things from a new perspective. Oweghn is so proud of him. He loves to make sure we all see Kelan every time he walks. All month long, whenver Kelan walked, Oweghn would yell, "Look Mommy and Daddy, Kelan is walking all by himself!" What a great big brother. Kelan loves him so much and tries to follow him everyone. When he can't keep up, Oweghn is always willing to take him for a ride...in the wagon, on the bike, in the dumptruck...wherever.




Kelan also started to say 'Thank you'...which we all think is so cute that we had to include video on this. Check it out. Such a polite baby...it's pretty funny.



Other very exciting news this month…Oweghn and Kelan have their first cousin on the Egusa side of the family. Claire Marie Egusa arrived very early on April 6^th. She is beautiful and we are so excited to meet her in person. Thanks to Skype, we’ve been able to see quite a bit of her, but it will be so nice to be able to hold her and see her up close. Congrats to Erin and Brett…the proud parents!

We also had a visit from Aunt Shelly and Cousin Hannah in April. Shelly came up for a work conference and stayed the weekend with us. Oweghn loved playing with his cousin Hannah. We got a lot of quality time together and everyone enjoyed it. We’re looking forward to another visit soon. Perhaps next we’ll head to sunny Arizona.

We finished off our busy month with a big surprise birthday bash for Sean’s 40^th. It was a surprise party held at a wine bar downtown on the waterfront. The weather was perfect and we were able to spend some time outside. Sean thought that he and I were going on a date and when we arrived at the restaurant, his family and some friends were there waiting to have dinner with them. He assumed this was his party, but in actuality, his party was forming in the party room next door during our dinner. We walked into the party room and there were about 40 people there to yell “Surprise”. It was great so see so many friends and family members there! Oweghn and Kelan were there for the first 45 minutes or so to join the party and then they left with Grandma and Grandpa on the farm to head home and go to bed. It was a fantastic night of wine, dessert, fun and friends.

We spent the next day, Sean’s actual birthday having breakfast with Sean’s out of town party guests…Kim DiGiulio and Grandma and Grandpa from Seattle. After breakfast we headed to a park in North Portland where Sean, Kelan and I were filmed for a campaign commercial for Sho Dozono who was running for Mayor of Portland. Later in the day, we had some quality family time at the park…flying Sean’s new remote controlled airplane that the boys got him for his birthday. For dinner we had pizza and for Sean’s birthday dessert, we had brownies. We finished off the night by watching a movie together before heading to bed. Sean had a great birthday weekend. Happy 40^th!

We had lots of little activities this month…a baby shower, a friend’s 40^th birthday party and a 5 year old birthday party. We went to a new pizza and play place, to the Children’s Museum, to the Pittock Mansion and the bookstore. We had a weekend of 80+ degree weather to enjoy the outdoors and the following weekend we had snow.

The boys continue to enjoy swim class. Oweghn is doing really well with swimming. He is able to swim about 10 feet across the pool under water. He has no fear and it’s so fun to watch his skills improving. Kelan continues to love being in the water with Daddy for his class. He loves blowing bubbles in the pool and in the bath.

April seemed to go even faster than March. We are looking forward to what May will bring.

March 2008 - Maui Sun!

March 2008

March was filled with fun. We spent the first two weeks preparing for vacation and the second two weeks vacationing. Ahhh...Paradise! In celebration of Grams’ 70^th birthday and Kelan’s 1^st birthday we headed to the Island of Maui for two weeks in the sun. The boys and I flew over on Friday the 16^th with Susan. Daddy flew out the next day on his own. We arrived and got settled in and went to the beach on our first morning. The boys loved it! Oweghn of course, immediately made a friend and they played all morning long…all week long in fact. That afternoon we picked Daddy up at the airport…he didn’t get quite the welcome he was hoping for as both boys were zonked out in the back of the very cool Dodge Magnum wagon we rented. We stopped off for lunch on the way back to the condo and Oweghn got to have his first Shave-ice. He loved it…even though he was sad it didn’t look like their perfectly shaped Styrofoam sample on the counter.

We spent most of our time playing on the beach, building sandcastles, boogie boarding and snorkeling. On day 2 in Maui, we found a great little beach with good snorkeling…lots of fish as well as turtles. There were rocks to explore and lots of room for Sandcastle constructing. And best of all, both Oweghn and Kelan got to boogie board with Dad. And being such a big boy, Oweghn decided he could do it on his own. Lots of laughs…lots of fun. What a trooper. Oweghn loved the water and Kelan loved eating the sand. We kept wondering when he would realize that all the sand on all the beaches tastes the same…but he didn’t seem to get bored with it.

On the 20^th of March, we brought Susan to a Luau at the Maui Prince Hotel to celebrate her birthday. Kelan was celebrating his 1^st birthday the same day. We had a cupcake and candle for him…Susan opted for Mai Tai’s. Everyone had a really fun time and the dancing and music was great! As an additional surprise for us…some friends we met 6 months ago in Japan were in Maui during our visit and we got to see them again. Sean’s long time friend Akira’s family was there. His wife, Miwako and their daughter Haruka were staying at the Maui Prince hotel so they walked down and visited with us for a bit during the Luau. Akira had to stay in Japan due to business, so unfortunately we didn’t get to see him, but we had a great time visiting with Miwa and Haruka over the next couple of days.

On one of our days in Maui, Sean, Oweghn, Kelan and I decided to drive up to Lahaina to check out options for boat excursions. We hung out near the marina for a while and then we picked up some drinks and snacks and found a great little place along the beach to watch the sunset that evening. The turtles were playing in the surf and the surfers were performing as well. It was such fun and so nice and relaxing. We got some great pictures that night.

After researching our excursion options, we decided to take a whale watching cruise. Great uncle Bill, Aunt Jen, Uncle Nopa, and Sean and I and the boys all went. We had a great trip with lots of whale activity. Our next excursion was on a boat called the reef dancer which looked like a submarine but stayed on the surface of the water. The hull of the boat was full of windows so you could see out under the water. We went out to a reef and a couple of divers dropped into the water and collected different sea creatures and brought them up to the windows. This was a lot of fun for the boys. Oweghn couldn’t believe it and Kelan kept pointing and saying ‘ish…ish’. Cute!

We also celebrated Easter while in Maui. Sean, Susan, Oweghn, Kelan and I went to a cute little church where they held an outdoor service overlooking the ocean. It was so nice. Everyone brought a flower and decorated a topiary style cross by adding their flower to it after receiving communion. At the end of the service, they released doves. We particularly liked the sandals and flip-flops the pastors wore. Only in Hawaii… There were many highlights on this trip. We definitely need to make it over to the condo on a more regular basis. It’s always so much fun!

Upon returning to the mainland…ie. reality (where it snowed every day for the first 3 days we were back), we dove right into getting ready for Kelan’s Big 1^st Birthday party. The theme…a Hawaiian Luau of course. Oweghn helped decorate the star shaped cupcakes which were his idea. Unfortunately we ran into some issues with ordering the Kalua Pork we wanted for the party. After about 5 phone calls, Sean got online, found a recipe and decided to take it on himself. What a success! The food at the party was great. It was SO cold that day so we cranked the heat and pretended we were still in Hawaii. Kelan had a good time and loved his cake which he demolished.

A great month…and it’s unbelievable that Kelan is already 1. Where does the time go? We ask ourselves this all the time. Life is good for our family. We are very fortunate and we have lots of opportunities for fun together. We continue to take advantage of those opportunities and make the most of them. Who would have guessed that life could bring so much! When we have our moments, Sean and I look at each other and smile and remember the words to a song that is played all the time on one of the radio stations we listen to. “You’re gonna miss this. You’re gonna want this back. You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast. These are some good times, so take a good look around. You may not know it now, but you’re gonna miss this”. It has become our mantra.

February 2008 - Family Fun

FEBRUARY 2008

February flew by…definitely not as quiet as January. Sean left for his guys’ ski trip to Whistler and the day after he got home, he went to LA for a couple days. The boys and I headed south to Arizona with Grandma to visit Aunt Shelly, Uncle Kris and Noah, Hannah and Lukah. It was Noah’s birthday weekend so we were able to help celebrate his big day. 8 years old! It was great to get a little sun this early in the year. We also got to pick oranges in the front yard and make fresh squeezed orange juice. A highlight of the month was on our return from Arizona. As we walked onto the plane, Oweghn was invited to sit in the pilot’s seat and wear his cap. He also got to use the intercom. I was thrilled to hear the little “Hi Mommy” over the intercom. The flight crew was great and Oweghn loved it!

Just after returning from Arizona, Oweghn had his first swim class at the Riverplace Athletic Club. After just 3 lessons he made noticeable progress. We’re excited to watch him for a couple months to see where he goes. We also attended a “Family Fun Night” at the club…it was a great time with a bounce house, a caterpillar to crawl through, hoops to shoot and drinks for Mom and Dad. We’ll have to attend more of these.

Oweghn’s class had a little party at the International School for Valentines Day. It was fun to watch the kids hand out their valentines and put them in their HUGE holders. All of the kids had a great time!

Kelan turned 11 months in February. Unbelievable…where does the time go? He loves the water and is really enjoying his swim class and his baths. He is so sweet and is really starting to vocalize. His latest Uh-oh has us laughing a lot these days. See him here at the pool!

Oweghn also got a little gift this month as we found a great little bike for him. He had definitely outgrown his little one from last summer. Perhaps this year we can teach him to ride without training wheels. Oweghn loves his bike and calls it his Calvin bike because it has paw prints on it. Very cute!

At the end of February was a Sakura Matsuri performance at Oweghn’s school. The entire Japanese track put on the show. The kids dressed up and although Oweghn was not thrilled with his outfit, he was able to be talked into wearing it for the show. They did a great job and it was very cute!

Other big news, Sean decided to leave his job at Travel Oregon and start focusing more time on his start-up. While doing this, he will be consulting with Bonneville Power Administration. Looks like he’ll still be very busy! He said good-bye to travel Oregon at the end of February and was given a nice send-off with cake and a little party with the staff. The boys and I joined them. It was sad to see him say good-bye, but he’s excited about his new venture!

Our final weekend in February was spent at Camp Sherman in Central Oregon. We went with a group of friends to celebrate our friend Ross’s 40^th birthday. We stayed in little cabins right on the river. It was a bit strange to be back at Camp Sherman. We spent many fun weekends there before kids, before married life…and now, after many years we are all back with our own kids. It was really a trip down memory lane. It was a fun weekend.

January 2008 - A Fresh Start

January 2008

After a busy Christmas season, we started off the new year with a whole new set of adventures. We each headed our own direction early in January. Sean left for China for his job with Travel Oregon. I returned to work after being away from Intel for almost a year. It was strange to be heading back. I started a new job at Intel and now work just 3 days a week; Mon-Wed. This is a great schedule for the family and I get to enjoy more time at home with the boys. Sean got to experience a small taste of my life when I had a work trip to California in my 3^rd week back. Dad and the boys did just fine.

Oweghn started back at the International School after a long winter break. He was excited to get back to school and see all his friends. He started writing his name in Japanese this month…it was a big accomplishment and his teacher (and mom and dad) were very proud of him. He goes to school Monday through Thursday and usually spends Thursday night and part of Friday with Grams.

Kelan goes to daycare 3 days a week. He’s continuing to become more confident and comfortable there. He is learning so much and changing so fast. It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed so quickly.

In Mid January, Kelan had his first swim class through the rec center. He loves the water, so swim lessons have gone very well for him. Oweghn started swim class again as well. He did great getting back into it. He loves to look for Kelan across the pool and wave at him in the water.

The last weekend in January we went on our annual winter weekend getaway. This time we decided to head to Sunriver after spending the past two winter getaways at Government camp. We headed out on Thursday and on Friday, Myla and Oweghn took a ski lesson together. They did VERY well. It was fun to watch as they maneuvered around on the slope. They even got to take the lift up and ski down the bunny slope. Sean and Matt hit the slopes while the kids did their lesson and Nicole and I and the little guys, Kaiden and Kelan hung out and watch the ‘big’ kids during their lesson and did a little sledding.

On Saturday Oweghn and Sean got to try out their new snow shoes as they tromped around Sunriver with Kelan in the backpack. We got to see Christine, George and Rylee for dinner on Saturday night. We hadn’t seen them since we were all in Japan, so it was really fun to see them again. It was really a great weekend and we all had a lot of fun!

After all the snow in Sunriver, we came home and saw a nice snowfall in Portland. It’s always so fun to wake up and look outside and see a blanket of white!

Overall January was a fairly quiet month. We spent most of it trying to settle into somewhat of a routine. 2007 was a very busy, adventurous year and 2008 is sure to be as well. We’re all looking forward to what this year will bring. New Year’s resolution…focus on family, focus on enjoying life!