Happy Birthday, Jason!

We celebrated Jason's 29th birthday

yesterday and it was such a special day!

Fortunately, Jason doesn't work on Tuesdays, so his birthday being on his day off was such a special treat for all of us! When Jason returned from a morning meeting, we surprised him with a kid hiking carrier. I even decorated (me, decorate?!?) the carrier and house a bit! It was so fun seeing the look on his face when he walked through the front door! Surprises are GREAT!!! :)

We loaded up the car and headed to Mount Lemmon here in Tucson. It's one of our favorite places to visit! It's so nice to get away, especially when it's hot in the valley. Mount Lemmon is always so nice and cool. A nice break from the heat, we love it!

After enjoying a yummy lunch, we were ready to go exploring in the mountains! It is so much easier to include Isaac in our hikes now as we can go places we weren't able to go before as it was tough to do with him. The carrier makes it so easy to carry him without getting tired!

Isaac was also very excited about the new carrier! He was so happy and goofy when Papa put it on. He loves exploring and this carrier is perfect for that! It's certainly going to get a lot of use from us. We LOVE to hike and go on long walks! The BEST part about hiking is that it's FREE to do and sooooo much fun! We have a lot of AZ mountains to explore now! :)

It was so much fun watching Isaac in the carrier. He was constantly looking at all the scenery and just "talking" as if he was telling us all about it. It was so cute! We put the sun/rain hood on the carrier to help block the sun, but Isaac stuck his head out the entire time as he didn't want to miss out on all the cool stuff he was seeing and hearing!

Who is that handsome boy in the mirror? :)

Oh, it's me, Isaac! :) LOVE that smile!

Yeah, I'm a cool and cute little dude! :)

I attempted to take a picture with the birthday boy, however, he made it very difficult as he kept acting like a goofball! Hmmm, wonder where Isaac gets it from??? Like father, like son!

Finally, the birthday boy cooperates! :)

We LOVE the mountains! Jason and I feel so relaxed and content when we are up there. There is no better sound than the stillness and quiet it creates. Whether it's the sound of birds, the wind through the trees, or the sound of water flowing, it is such a peaceful place! Each time we visit we are inspired and amazed by it's beauty. Hopefully one day, with God's blessing, we can have our dream cabin up there! :)

Jason said this birthday was so far the BEST one as he got to spend the whole day with his favorite little man!
It was a fun day!

Meet the O.G.C Staff!

We enjoyed a wonderful evening out with our friends from Jason's job! At least once every couple of months we all try to get together and do something with our families. On this day, Dr. Freeman and his wife, Kim, reserved some great seats for us at a Tucson Sidewinders baseball game. Before the game, we all devoured some fabulous food and tail-gated out in the parking lot. They don't tail-gate out here like they do in the Midwest so we had a lot of curious stares from people. Maybe it was all the yummy food and smells that attracted so much attention?!?!? :)

Top Row: Me (Sylvia), Jason, Kim, Becky (Freeman daughter), Crystal (Chiropractic Assistant), Haley (Crystal's daughter), Louis (Crystal's husband)

Middle Row: Faye (Chiropractic Assistant) holding Isaac, Dr. Freeman, Jackie (Freeman daughter), Reece (Faye's son), Louis Jr. (Crystal's son)

Bottom Row: Bobby and Ella (Faye's husband and daughter)

Not pictured: Shirley (Chiropractic Assistant) and her husband

The doc's with their fabulous wives (and son)! :) We have so much fun with Jim and Kim. We definitely consider them good friends and enjoy hanging out with them. Whether it's getting together for lunch, dinner or "doggie dates" with our other children, Simba and Yeager, it's always a nice time with them!

The Freeman's are originally from the Midwest also (Minnesota and North Dakota) so already, one knows they are good folks! :) The similarities between their story and our story is soooooooo much alike! They went through many of the same things we did right after graduation from Palmer - pregnancy, temp job, new baby, getting house ready for sale, selling house, and moving to Arizona!!! Jim and Kim know exactly what Jason and I are experiencing and I think that is why they have been so gracious and helpful to us. They completely understand and it's so nice being able to discuss our situation with them because they have been through it. They have really given us some great advice. They are great examples and mentors for us! We all feel God has brought us together and we are so happy about that!

Our little ladies man! Hitting on Ella (and she's 2)! Okay, more like trying to take her dress off. Oh boy!!! :)

Isaac kept us all entertained that night, especially Dr. Freeman!

It is certainly a blessing to have Dr. Freeman and his lovely wife, Kim in our lives! Jason has learned so much from the two of them and it is very exciting! We know without a doubt, we are in the right place! God is GREAT!!!!!!!!

The Freeman Family - Jackie (youngest), Kim, Jim, and Becky (oldest). Katie (middle daughter) was not there that night. Such a great family!!!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

This of course was one of the BEST celebrations

as it included our precious son, Isaac. Hope you all had a

fabulous and blessed day!

God Bless America!!!!

Jason hosted a booth at the Marana Star Spangled Spectacular which is a HUGE 4th of July celebration that supposedly attracts over 10.000 people. We didn't realize how popular it was until that day and sure enough, it was crazy!

I helped Jason in his booth and anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE to decorate!!! Of course, I couldn't resist and Jason let me do my thang, as always!!! :) Everything has potential, even a little booth! I must say, we had by far the most festive booth at the event. I really thought people would decorate their booths, but it turned out, we were the only ones! It was a great thing for us as it really made our booth stand out and attract A LOT of attention! Gotta LOVE the dollar store!!!! $11 goes a long way and looks good!!!! :)

Jason was offering free posture exams, which unfortunately didn't work out because the ground was too uneven! However, we did have a raffle for free cervical and lombar pillows and 1st time office visits that included - exams, x-rays, and adjustments. People LOVE free stuff and we had so many sign up for the raffle, which allowed Jason the opportunity to introduce himself and speak with them. Through the raffle we anticipate some really great leads and some future patients!!! God is GREAT!!!

People LOVE free stuff and we had lots of goodies to give out, which included tons of brochures, pamphlets, office visit coupons, pens, and the MOST popular, BALLOONS!!! Kids LOVE balloons and parents come with kids!!! I wish I had pictures to show how many people we had waiting for balloons! Jason and I couldn't keep up, it was crazy! We were constantly handing out balloons, even when we attempted to make a bunch just to have ready! All we could do was look at each other and laugh! It did get a little stressful at times, especially when we had people waiting, but thank God everyone was so nice and understanding! Plus, it allowed them time to fill out a raffle entry, ask questions, get some pens, and pick up some of the great information we had available for them and of course, get Jason's business card! :)

We ordered 1000 balloons and went through almost 2 bags (each bag contained 250 balloons)! Almost 500 balloons later, Jason's finger started bleeding! When I asked him if his finger hurt, Jason said he didn't know because it was numb and he couldn't feel it! I didn't have any bleeding fingers, but I did break a few nails and my fingers were also numb!!! It was SOOOOO worth it, though! We had a great time meeting tons of people and getting our name out there in the community! Plus, seeing our red and blue balloons all over the place was such an exciting feeling! We had almost 500 people helping us advertise!!!! It was GREAT!!!

I made red, white, and blue tye-dye attire for Isaac and me.

It was perfect for the 4th of July!!!

Isaac looked so adorable in his tye-dye onesie!!!

Back of his onesie. We had matching bulls-eye prints!

Next year we have to make Papa one so he can look as cool as we did!!! :)

Family Update - July 2008

Isaac's Mama and Papa!

Our baby boy is growing so fast!!! (7 months old)

Isaac is such an active little boy!!! (10 months old)

Isaac is going to be tall, just like his Mama and Papa!

Our future athlete and retirement fund!!! :)

It's hard to believe Isaac is 10 months old already! Everything has gone by so fast and I am still amazed at times that we have a son. Jason and I can't remember what it was like before Isaac, which I'm sure every parent understands. The past 10 months have been the best! Each day is such a beautiful blessing with our son!

Isaac has quite the personality! :)

It's been a long time since we have updated everyone on how we are doing and I don't even know where to begin. It's hard to believe that we are already in July. Seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the beginning of 2008.

Our little Hawkeye!!! GO HAWKS!

In January, we moved out of my mother's home and decided to rent a house that is located close to Jason's office. The long commute was too much for Jason as he was driving almost 1 hour each way. We found a nice house that fits all of our belongings. It is great having all of our stuff around us which really gives us a sense of home, which we missed so much! Plus, Jason is close to work, which is so convienient, especially with gas prices the way they are. It's wonderful being able to have lunch with him and it also gives me a little break during the day while Isaac gets some Papa time for a couple hours! Aside from being close to Jason's work, we are also close to our new church, Faith Community Church! It is a GREAT church and we feel so blessed to be a part of it. We continue to meet such wonderful people on a weekly basis and it's been awesome. It also helps that our good friends, Annie and Adrian attend! Thanks for the referral! :)

LOVE this picture of my boys!!! :)

We decided to rent a house with hopes that while doing so, we can get familiar with the areas we would like to live in and hopefully save some money in the process. The homes in AZ are much more expensive than what they are in the Midwest! We are both so tired of moving, it would be ideal if the next house we bought was one we could live in for a VERY long time!!! We certainly learned a lot from our homeowner experience in Iowa and we hope it makes us wiser in our next home purchase. The housing market is so crazy right now, we are certainly in no hurry to buy! We know when the time is right, God will let us know!

I didn't do it?!?!?!?

Yes, he has attitude already, but you gotta love the mohawk!!!

Jason is doing well at work and is enjoying it very much! God continues to bless him at work and we are so grateful! It was tough and frustrating in the very beginning as it was a challenge finding new patients, however after joining a few networking groups and participating in community events, that has all turned around. Plus, it also helps that Dr. Freeman continues to embrace Jason and is really trying hard to help Jason grow his practice. Dr. Freeman's efforts are truly genuine and a great blessing to our lives. We are amazed by his generosity and good intentions. God is GREAT and truly deserves all the glory because He led us to him! Of course, there are still days Jason would like to be busier, however, we continue to be encouraged in the progress he has made and continues to make on a weekly basis.

Our precious little boy!!! Such a sweetheart!

Our little water baby! Isaac LOVES to go swimming!

Isaac doing his "Scary Man" face! He is such a ham!!! :)

Stare down with Papa! Who is going to win???

Mama and Isaac having fun on a play date with friends at The Children's Museum.

Mama and Isaac get their pictures taken together!

It was such a fun day! Mama and Isaac even coordinated in red!!! :)

Some more pictures of Isaac swimming! He loves the water!!!

Our little cowboy!

Isaac is doing so well! At 9 months, Isaac was 25 lbs 11 oz and 31 inches long!!! Although he continues to be one of the biggest babies EVER, he has actually slowed down a bit. At 6 1/2 months, Isaac was 25 lbs 2 oz. In almost 3 months, he has gained just 9 oz. Still, we anticipate a tall boy as Isaac's doctor calculated his adult height to be around 6' 5" by taking my height and Jason's! We shall see. . .my doctor in Iowa also thought I was having an 8 lb baby and Isaac was over 10 lbs! :)

Isaac crawling up the second set of stairs in the house. He is such a big boy!!!

Isaac was ready to give up, but then Papa gave him a little pep talk and encouraged him along!

I did it, Papa!!!

Isaac is certainly one active little boy! He is crawling all over the place, pulls himself up and likes to walk along our furniture. Every now and then he will let go and just stand there, carefully balancing himself with such a big smile, as though he knows that he is accomplishing something grand! He recently discovered the stairs in our house and that is now his favorite activity, which we encourage as we think it's great exercise for him! Isaac LOVES to climb both sets of stairs and is getting faster and faster each time. Of course, it's extra work for Jason and I as we can't let him out of our sight for even one minute! However, the enjoyment Isaac gets out of the simplest things is the best entertainment for us!

Such a happy boy!!!

Aside from being so active, Isaac is such a funny little boy and loves to talk! Although it's mostly baby babble, he is one talkative, loud little dude! Isaac also LOVES to mimic us and make silly faces, such as his famous "Scary Man" face! It's almost as if Isaac knows how to make us laugh and he enjoys it just as much as we do. We are amazed daily by what we call, his "genius"! I know every parent feels the same way about their child, but it really is amazing how fast babies grow and learn! We spend countless hours with Isaac, whether it's reading, talking, singing, dancing, baby signing, watching baby videos, playing, exercising, exploring, etc. etc. and we continue to be amazed by how fast he learns! It's so exciting being able to teach him and knowing that in the process, we are growing a man! How we teach him, what we teach him, and the examples we set for him are so important. He is watching us very closely and how we live our lives will help determine how he lives his!!!

Jason celebrates his first official Father's Day!!! It was such a blessed day!

Well, I could go on and on about Isaac, but I know this update is already soooooo long! It's been over 7 months since the last update and it's so hard picking and choosing what to write about. My goal with this blog is to update as often as possible, hopefully weekly, so that it doesn't become a book to read each and every time!

Thanks for visiting. . .hope you will come back soon!!!!

Take care and God Bless!

With Love,

Sylvia, Jason and Isaac

This is one of our favorite pictures of Isaac! It's certainly a classic! Can't help but laugh each time we look at it and see the expression on his face. If looks could kill. . .

"Mama stop taking pictures of me, or I'm gonna throw this toy at you!" :)