Random Faves

I know...Halloween right after Easter? However, I just love this picture of my girls and wanted to blog about it. This was actually on Halloween. And we had gone to Cathy Cook's work (one of our good friends in Vegas) for a little Trick-or-Treat. Then went to Daddy's former employer, Mandalay Bay to say hi to some friends when we realized the Shark Reef was free for kids on Halloween. They LOVED it and had so much fun, but when all the fun was done they were tuckered out. Although as beautiful as can be! While doing this I have to slap a pic up here of all of them on Halloween.


Jenna & Megan's reaction once they realize the scary witch is after them!

Jenna, Megan and Weston finding the dead divers "decorating" one of the tanks at the Shark Reef. We will miss this place A LOT!

This is as good as it gets with a wiggly, little 2 year old. She was actually REALLY cute in this costume, but I can't find a picture that captures it!

Saying goodbye to Vegas friends and Meeting New Friends

Here's some pics of Jenna and Megan saying goodbye for now to their best friends Kaylee and Ashlee. I was going to include pics of our dear friend Tara, but I was not lookin' too hot, although Tara was very cute!


Gotta love the choke-hold hug Kaylee's giving Jenna. That's when you know you're loved! I thought all four of them were adorable in this pic.

Ashlee and Megan became BEST FRIENDS the year they both entered preschool in their fave Ms. Baker's class and were lucky enough to go on together to the same Kindergarten class. I know these two will be friends forever.

Jenna & Kaylee first met in Ms. Baker's Kindergarten class (yes, the same teacher mentioned above) and were instant BEST FRIENDS! They were so blessed to continue on with the same teachers for 1st and 2nd grade, too!

Just another cute one of all of them again! I love all these girls!

And here's Weston with one of the kids' new friends Kiden (sp?). She and Megan are both in Kindergarten and have really hit it off.

Making new friends. Here's Jenna with one of her new friends Madison. They walk to school every day and are both in 2nd grade, but not the same class. They both are super cute here.

Greetings from Illinois!

I find this hilarious that a recent posting of ours was "Greetings from IL" while we were on vacation last summer. I realize Wes has already commented on this, but it's funny how little we can know about our future. Six months ago I never would've guessed we would end up here or love it SO MUCH! Here are some pics of my kids enjoying some SNOW! And their first sledding experiences. It's hard to capture my next memory on camera, but I guess that's what journaling is for. Just a couple weeks after we moved to Aurora the temps went to 20 below 0 degrees and that was without the windchill! Also, this was their first "snow day" from school, which technically was a "cold day". We made it a fun day by having a sleepover in front of the fire, watched Night at the Museum and ordered pizza. It was a lot of fun. Wes will have to share what happened to his hand the next morning when he was going to work. P.S. Don't worry my blog is still under construction...tune in again soon to see updates!


This is my Vegas baby navigating the snow. She's not sure what to think. I think she's cute in her brother's scarf!


Daddy introducing Weston to the necesseties of playing in the snow. Wes built a fort for them in the backyard right after we moved here.


Jenna loves posing for pics. She really cracks me up that she can look so beautiful sledding down a hill. Love that girl!


This is Megan sledding down a hill right near our backyard. Our cul-de-sac backs up to their elementary school. They LOVE walking to school!

Snow in Las Vegas! You wouldn't believe it unless you were there or saw pics!

What? It's SNOWING?!? Las Vegas or Chicago...

This is something I couldn't pass up blogging. To give a little background this was Dec. 17, 2008 in Las Vegas and I was in moving mode, doing my best to wear the single mom hat and the mover hat so I could pack up our home so we could move to Chicago. And what a fun early Christmas present to have it start snowing! The kids loved it and it was such a fun day! I knew that the Jenna and Megan for sure would love the snow when we got to our new home!

Since this is my first post since last summer. I want to thank all my friends and family who have encouraged me to blog. I once I get this done I think I'll feel more confident to keep the momentum up.

Picture of the Happy Couple

OK all! If this doesn't get Melissa to start blogging, nothing will. Uploading a picture of the happy couple without consulting the wife is a dangerous adventure. Please note the disclosure: We didn't plan on getting this picture done but rather attended an Adult Night out for a Church function. They brought a photographer who was taking free pictures (I rarely ever pass up FREE). I had coerced my wife into getting the picture. I hadn't shaved, althought Melissa does look very pretty as she always does.

Melissa keeps talking about making entries into the blog. Hopefully this will light her fire. All is well with the Newcombe's. The kids are enjoying spring, missing the snow believe it or not. We miss many people as well that we got to know in Vegas. Melissa is picking up her business again which is a good thing. She really is an example to me. She even introduced herself to all the neighbors (neighboUrs for our Canadian friends) and invited them over for an open house. She is a good business woman. Go Melissa!

We have had a great visit by Melissa's mom who lives in Henderson NV as well as my brother Andrew and his family who live in Chatham Ontario Canada (about 350 miles away). We did make a wirlwind trip to visit him and the rest of my family at the beginning of February at the unexpected passing of my paternal Grandmother. She did have a long life for which I am grateful for.

Anyhow Melissa - Post away. I got to get to work. Thanks to all for being our friends and family. Keep pestering Melissa to post. I believe we may get her to do so before long.

Wes

Yes, this is silly. Posting a small blog some six months after doing so on a visit back "east" to visit family. Little did we know that times would change and we would find oureselves living in Illinois. Under the current economic conditions, I (Wes) lost my job at Mandalay Bay as the Finance Operations Manager. Although I knew that it was coming, careers that were willing to pay anything close to what I was making had dried up. No one was hiring. A close friend of mine was looking to hire someone with Accounting/Finance background to come join a Business Intelligence team that we was putting together at his company IN CHICAGO. Well, two weeks later after being layed off my job, I found myself working in Naperville, Illinois (suburb of Chicago). Our family relocated at the end of December.

I will update more in the near future. I do make a call out to my wife to post something as well. Until then, we hope all is well with everyone.

Wes

Greetings from Illinois!

Our saga continues! We're visiting family in Chicago right now. We've had some good weather (cooler that is). We've seen some rain which is nice as we don't get to see very much in Vegas.

Melissa is flying into O'Hare airport this afternoon. She has been attending a Tastefully Simple Convention in Minneapolis since Thursday. I drove her to the Detroit airport on the 14th where she flew to MSP via ORD. She has had a great time from what I have been able to get from her on the phone. She talks briefly when we are on the phone. I am looking forward to her coming back. It has given me a new profound appreciation for what she does to take care of the kids.

I had to drive all 4 kids the 6 hour drive (does not include stops for gas/potty/DVD change). I thought that crossing the border would have been harder without my wife present. The agent didn't even ask for the notarized letter that we drafted up giving permission for me to take the kids across the border without both parents present.

I'll try to upload some pictures of the car ride across the river on the ferry! Normally we don't take the ferry across but the border crossing by bridge and tunnel were really backed up. See ya! Enjoy your Sunday!

Greetings from Canada!

Well, for those who didn't know, our family is on vacation from August 9th-24th. We flew into Detroit on the 9th. The flight itself was smooth sailing but Kyla had a rough time getting to sleep. We took a red eye flight so our system was out of wack on Saturday. It is cool and rainy. In fact I got up this morning and it was 49 degrees outside. Yesterday it must have only got up to 70. So, no swimming for our kids when it is that cool.

I am at the hospital today having taken my dad in for an angioplasty (spelling?) Just waiting around. I thought I would bring Melissa's laptop in the chance that I would be able to gain access to the Internet. Melissa is having an internet withdrawl at my parents house as they do not have access. So for those of you who are not getting a quick response from Melisa, give her a little slack. She is trying to logon whenever possible.

Melissa flies out to Minneapolis MN on Thursday for a Tastefully Simple Conference. She doesn't want to leave the family but she is also looking forward to learning new things and being pumped up in order to go home and rock her business.

We have some pictures. When we have time, we will upload some pictures from our camera and post them here. Stay tuned. For those in Vegas - stay cool! We'll try to send some cooler weather your way.

Melissa did a wonderful job!

I thought I would jump in quickly to say "Way to go Melissa" for figuring out how to post video's and pictures. I have to give it a try. I guess I should take some pictures first.

We're trying to pack up and get ready for the trip. We leave Friday night at midnight. I sure am not looking forward to doing a red eye flight with the kids but it was the cheapest way to go. Having to purchase 5 tickets (next time will be 6 tickets) for the family, any savings is appreciated.

I helped pack the electronics last night (i.e. travel DVD, GPS). We keep setting up the suitcases on our bed as a reminder to pack clothes as they are ready. The last thing we want to do is pack up the day or night of especially since it is Jenna's birthday.

Melissa had a Tasetfully Simple party tonight (she is a consultant). She came home excited but tired. She is asleep right now (at 10 pm) on the couch. She is doing great with her business. I am so proud of her.

Another day down, more ahead.

Jump...jump...jump

I hope I'm doing this blogging thing right so far. I'm loving it, but feel completely clueless. So why not add to it by trying a video. So here goes.

Last night, Jenna taught Kyla the word "JUMP" and the action that goes with it. And Kyla was running around the living room saying "Jump...jump...jump" and trying so hard to get off the ground. It was so adorable and we got some video to go with it.

She's been saying all kinds of new words lately. Some of her newest words include: AWESOME! and Choo Choo, All Aboard. She seriously says all four of those words together. Anyway, these are all words she's learned from her big 4-year-old brother.

My First Tag...

This is a picture tag from one of my dear friends Kendra!! The rules are...you have to take 10 pictures of the following things, right away, without straightening or cleaning anything up. I tried to keep mine in the same order as my buddies Kendra and Ragan (because they know more than I do about how to post on here)...so here I go...

1. The closet...not terribly messy, but we do have too many clothes. We definitely need to declutter our wardrobe. And you probably noticed the suitcases ready to be packed. I didn't finish the packing on Saturday, but the laundry is almost done...hopefully making packing that much easier.

2. The toilet...there were no rules about whether it should be opened. It's actually not that bad, but I'm so not putting it on display to be judged. :c) This is our Master Bath. I love having a bathroom in my bedroom. I know most everyone does...but I really appreciate it.
3. What your kids are doing right now? Well, the first moment I got to work on this picture tag was after the kids were in bed. However, as you can see not everyone was asleep. SO that was a surprise to me.

• Kyla - laying in her crib trying to go to sleep despite the camera being flashed in her eyes!

• Weston - I had to crop this one, so as not to show the spiderman underoos! He's such a cutie! Also, can I just say I love the fact that 3 of my 4 kids are potty-trained! It might not sound like a big deal, but at one point I did have 3 in diapers.
  

• Jenna - she sleeps on the top bunk. So this is the best shot I could get of her. I especially loved the hand hanging over the edge. She's such a sweetheart! And CANNOT wait for her birthday!

• Megan - she absolutely cracked me up sleeping with her arms straight above her head.
  
  

4. Self portrait - fairly accurate seeing as we're both the contributors on this blog. I held the camera and Wes snapped the picture.
5. The fridge... I guess I shouldn't have taken it when it was dark in the kitchen. But it's really not that bad. However, we're trying to empty it before our vacation.
6. The kitchen sink - thank goodness Wes had gotten the dishes loaded in the dishwasher before I got my camera out. I know...I'm one lucky lady to have a guy who doesn't mind helping with dishes.
7. The laundry room. I really like my laundry room. It took me a few months to realize I could use the shelf to hang clothes up as they come out of the dryer. I'm a little on the ditzy side. :) And I really like my side-load washer because my kids can help out with the laundry. However, I have to share a quick story about my kids at Grandma & Grandpa's house. Grandpa Paul was doing laundry and the kids wanted to watch. Grandpa later said "You'd have thought they had never seen anyone do laundry before". We realized that was because they can't ever remember having a top-load washer in our home. My mom was not laughing at the prospect of having an "old-fashioned" washer.
8. My favorite room in the house. This is probably because it's summer. But I LOVE my bedroom, because it is my sanctuary. And at the end of the day, it is the coolest room in the house and I'm thrilled to climb into my cool, crisp bed. And I like that when I'm disciplined enough to work out I can do it in the comfort of my own bedroom (the machine in the front of the room is a gazelle). However, I still need to decorate all the rooms in my home.
9. My favorite pair of shoes...I have loved these shoes since my mom bought them. And had always wished I had gotten the same pair as her when she bought them. However, I went with a diff pair. Well, I got lucky and she handed them down to me and she had only worn them a couple times. And the pedicure is from Jenna. She's been begging to give me a pedi for the past few weeks. I finally gave into her the other night. 10. A picture of my dream vacation. This is a picture in Hawaii of the Kaanapali Beach on Maui. I'm kind of boring. I've been there before, but I'd love to go again. Go snokeling again and this time wear sunscreen. Also, take the Road to Hana and enjoy the Seven Pools. We didn't do that on our honeymoon. Also, (and I totally copied this from Kendra) I would just sit on the beach or swim in a perfectly aqua blue ocean and relax all day.
Okay so I will tag Melissa S., Nancy A., Michelle C., Becky B., and Teri M. As usual, I will not be offended if you don't have the time! Also, anyone else who is interested is welcome to tag themselves with this one! Have a fabulous day!!

It's the Weekend!

Since Melissa allowed me to be a co-administrator on this blog, I thought I would make my presence known. It sure is nice to relax. It has been a crazy week with many ups and downs. Melissa is out and about with Jenna and Weston this morning. I've got Kyla and Megan and they have been good girls.

We are gearing up for our trip back to Canada. We sure miss the family there! We sure won't miss the Vegas heat while we are gone but we aren't ready for the humidity.

I spent last night looking up old friends and acquaintences on Facebook last night. I came accross a childhood friend I hadn't heard from in over 20 years. Cool or what. This internet thing sure has made it easier to meet up with old friends.

Well, better get back to cleaning. Melissa' wants to begin packing for the trip (7 days from now). If she begins, that will be the earliest time we ever got ready for a trip. Go Melissa Go!

Cute Baby:

My cute friend Ragan has been offering to get me started in the blog world for months. I really needed her help because I'm very new to this whole blog world. One of the few things she asked for was pics. Well, I finally had some I was proud to share. And I think once I got over my initial phobia of venturing into blogdom, I can see the possibilities. I love the idea that I can preserve my families heritage. And I can flip back and see how my children have grown. And on the day that my dear friend Ragan built my blog, she watched my baby Kyla and snapped these cute shots of her. Thanks to all my friends for their support and sweet comments! I love you guys and look forward to hearing more from each of you! Ragan I bet you're so proud of me for FINALLY posting! Yay...me!