Skate or Die

As Rebecca already pointed out, one of Oliver's favorite things to do is longboard. He liked it quite a bit until we upgraded the regular old ride-down-the-hill routine, and now he LOVES it. The new angle came in the form of a dirty old tennis ball we found on one of our rides. He loved to hold it during the ride, then we improved on that by throwing it in front of us down the hill, catching up and grabbing it without slowing. Here are some pics (without the tennis ball. We lost it and need to get a new one). Not too exciting, but you get the idea.

Remember those flipbooks?

Ok, so I don't remember the exact name of them, but you remember, right? They told a story and you had to flip the pages at the right speed and it seemed like the characters were actually moving? Well, if you don't remember, I'm going to recreate this fabulous childhood memory right here on our blog! Watch carefully as Oliver falls asleep while eating his cheese-on-bread...





The sad thing is that this happens now at least twice a week, and only on the days that he's in childcare at the gym I work at. I guess it really wears him out.

Reba's Run

Actually it was a 5k called Ryan's Run here in ABQ. Reba ran and Ollie and I got a free massage, some free juice, and pictures with Ronald McDonald and Smokie the Bear. Good times.

Let me tell you something about myself. I've always gotten a big thrill from watching someone I know do something that they truly excel at. Something they really dominate. For example, nothing use to make me happier than to watch Nate May play basketball, especially if I was on his team. Seeing my pal be so dominant at something offered me endless joy and pride (not used to seeing those two words in that particular order are you? Get used to it because the purpose of this blog is to BLOW YOUR MIND!). Or the fact that my brother Braden could put together and successfully direct a full scale, legit play when he was 15. Same with seeing the ever-insightful, pithy, intelligent, original material my bro Ryan puts out on his blog www.romneyexperience.com. Or Jason Bourne fight (I feel like I know him by now). Or watching Eliza play volleyball. Or me at Quantem Theory. Seriously though, I just find it amazing and fascinating that people can be so unbelievably good at some things. Even better is when it's people I know.

Anyway, in this same category is watching Rebecca run in races. She's just so dang fast and it's even more awe-inspiring for me since the particular thing she's rocking is running, and it's just so hard for me to imagine being disciplined enough to become that skilled at running. Anyway, Ollie and I were hanging out at the finish line and I saw the first few guys (these are serious dudes. Young dudes who certainly ran or currently run in college, who have shaved, sculpted legs, John Stockton shorts, and those teeny florescent track shoes that are bought from who-knows where. My mom and I have never seen them in Payless, that's for sure.) sprint in doing 5 and something minute miles. Amazing. So then a few minute pause and this nazi-fast lady comes booking in. I know Reba's fast, but ABQ is FULL of hardcore runners and cyclists and all around outdoor fitness types, so I while I know it's time to prep the camara and retrieve Ollie from the dogs he's crawling around the pavement with, I don't expect to see her for a bit. Then I turn my head after watching the buff lady sprint by and who doth mine eyes behold but little Reba hauling down the track right after the crazy lady. From the combination of how knowing how competitive she can be and from the shock of seeing her up with these heartless sadomasichists, I just started laughing. I grin now just thinking about her on that lady's tail. So congrats to Reba for 2nd place, which she says would have easily been a 1st place if she would have known about the free Southwest Air tickets for 1st place. Kind of like how she got 2nd place at Miss Georgia Teen Queen because it was the affirmative action year so they had to pick a black girl for 1st.
Here's to Speedy Gonzreba!

Breck

Breck is short for Breckenridge (Colorado, that is) where we spent last weekend. After a 6 hour drive- Oliver crying for only about 2 of it, we finally arrived in Parker where we met up with my sister and her family. We left the next day for Breckenridge. We drove by a few beautiful mountain towns that looked like they were straight out of Man From Snowy River. (I had to throw that one in for little Natey.) But, Breckenridge definitely topped them all as one of the cutest, most quaint towns I have visited this side of the Mississippi. It was a collage of old yellow, red, green, turquoise, blue, purple, etc.-colored buildings with a Victorian accent to them. Plus, there was a little river with a bike path next to it that made it all the more romantic. Our cabin was big, but still seemed a bit crowded when all 19 of us finally settled in. Yes, you read that right, 19 people- 11 kids and 8 adults. Whoever said, "the more the merrier" obviously never traveled with the Jewkes clan. Christian's favorite part of it all was the TV in each room. Friday was a beautiful day- in the 50's or higher and sunny. So, we took advantage of it and headed down to the bike path along the river. Somehow I got stuck with a men's bike and needless to say, I was in a little bit of pain for a couple of hours. It was a nice ride and a little bit different from those spin classes I sometimes take at my gym (double the elevation from 5500 ft in Albuquerque to almost 11,000 in Breck probably had something to do with it as well). That night during dinner our party was crashed by about 5 red foxes right outside our window. All the kids dashed outside, beef jerky and bread in hand. That explains why they were our guests all weekend (or were we there's???). They came around thereafter at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The kids were banned after a while from feeding them when my brother-in-law, Jim, threatened them with stories of rabies, hospital visits, and their heads being bitten off and/or them being carried away. Pretty unbelievable in my opinion- they are such cute little creatures. Saturday started out nice, but took a turn for the worst when clouds slowly hovered in and it began to snow. We were expecting a "light dusting," but it turned out to be a full-blow snow storm, reaching almost a foot by the time we left on Sunday morning. So, instead of our plans on Saturday to run 10 miles and go fishing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, hiking, and mountain climbing, the girls opted instead for the outlet malls 20 miles outside of town (totally unplanned, we promise). We had a good time and got our exercise instead walking from Banana Republic, to J. Crew (that one's for you, Davis), to Coach. We celebrated our good finds that day over dinner at Breckenridge Brewery with some hot cocoa, soup, and brownie ala mode. Christian and I were going to stay through Sunday afternoon but between the snow piling up and the crammed quarters at the cabin, we decided to head out after breakfast. And so off we went in our trusty non-4-wheel drive (one of the ONLY one's on the road that day) Honda Accord. Christian kept talking about what a good, Utah-bred snow-driver he was and I just kept praying that we'd make it through the switchbacks on the 20 mile road through Hoosier Pass. With an inch of snow and ice on the road we were both scared, especially when we saw one of the 2 other non-4-wheel drive vehicles on the road that day hanging off the edge of a small cliff. We had to back up, gain momentum, and then drive on a couple of times, but after only about an hour, we made it to the main highway and were safely on our way back to Albuquerque, Oliver crying for only about an hour and a half of this leg. So, in case you're wondering, yes, we did have a great time and it was a beautiful, beautiful place and we loved being with family and friends.

Outside the cabin on Friday with Daddy. Obviously Oliver was prepared for the oncoming blizzard.

One-on-one time with Grandma, admiring the snow. She took Oliver on walks every day while she visited us.

Grandma and Oliver definitely bonded on this trip.

Sunday morning, on the back deck right before we faced the blizzard in our Honda. Excuse the haggared appearance, but being with 19 people in a cabin all weekend took it's toll. That, and I had just rolled out of bed.
Along with mastering the stairs, Olivered learned to play peek-a-boo this weekend.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Alright, so we have discovered that Oliver has a few very exciting hobbies and "favorite things." I won't go into too much detail, because you can guess by the pictures what he loves most (and some of these, as you can see, are generously egged on by his daddy).

Playing with his all his balls: soccer, basketball, tennis, and baseball.

Longboarding with his daddy (with his tennis ball).

As soon as he hears mommy open the dishwasher, he makes a mad dash, climbs up, and heads for the silverware.
Yep, he goes straight for the good stuff: dish detergent (a certified baby hazard).

Puppy Love and More...

So, Oliver is in love with one of our neighbor's dogs. The dog's name is Zeus and he's not cute at all- black and kind of scraggly looking. But, everytime Oliver sees him (or even hears him or any other dog barking), he starts to do this little bark himself, which is more like a high-pitched, short squeal. We'll have to get a picture of the duo and you'll see what I mean.
Also, Christian taught Oliver his first "word" this weekend- "uh, oh." He does it with the right pitch and everything and whenever we say it, he repeats it right after us. I don't think he's grasped the meaning of it as of yet, but it's still pretty darn adorable. He's actually quite the talker. Sometimes he'll carry on an entire conversation, complete with voice inflection, excitement, and what seems like very real words, we just can't understand them.
I'm about three months into my very first calling in Primary- the nursery to be exact, and well, frankly, it's a real struggle. It's a mix between feeling like I am just not good with kids at all and REALLY not being good with kids at all. So, I've been in charge of the craft or activity this month and you want to talk about a calling "stretching" you- well this is it. Crafts probably take #2 on my list of least desirable activities. So, one week I brought in poster-board made crowns, the next I cut up some old rags to make bandanas, the next I traced their feet on a piece of paper and this last week topped them all with noise makers made out of two paper bowls stapled together with macaroni inside. I think the other leaders in there kind of pity me and they're always quick to jump in when they see how bad I am struggling. Ok, so is nursery this difficult for everyone? Probably not...
Christian, on the other hand, is an advisor in Young Men's- a pretty cake calling in comparison. Yes, he has to prepare lessons a couple times a month and go to mutual once a week, but since when did the young women's activities ever consist of swimming, rock climbing, scuba diving trips, playing sports, and other fun, adventorous things??? And, usually on Sundays they just end up story-telling for the entire lesson. I guess that's why guys have to go on missions- "to catch up to us women."
On a lighter note, my Mom's coming into town this weekend and I'm pretty excited. We're going to cruise around Albuquerque for a few days before heading up to Breckenridge, CO where we have rented a cabin with my sister's family and some friends. We'll keep you posted!