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June 30, 2005

A Fourth Of July Travesty...

A moment on my soapbox, if you will...

I live in a subdivision in North Carolina, in the United States of America. I don't live in communist China, Cuba or anywhere else that personal freedoms are trampled on every day. No, I live in America, but you wouldn't know it thanks to something called 'restrictive covenants'. These covenants cover lots of stuff in our sub-d, like running businesses out of your home, leaving rusting automobiles on your lawn (which is standard practice in some parts of the Old North State) and displaying an American flag. No, thanks to these wacked out rules, I cannot display the ol' Stars and Bars on my home at any time, holiday or not. I have spoke with our builder and our homeowner's association and they have both told me to go stick my American flag somewhere else. (Just don't display it proudly outside of your home, they told me, in not so many words.) I don't want to hang an Iragi flag, or a North Korean flag, or any flag from any of our current or past enemies. (I should have that right, though, thanks to the First Amendment.) I have thought about hanging it anyway, because really, what can they do to me? But then, I just don't want to make trouble, so I guess I'll just stew. It's a sad state of affairs, and it is truly a sad state I live in where they let this sort of thing go on. I just wanted to get that off my chest.

Check out the rest of the 'blog for more cool family pics and not so much whining!)

Bye for now!

Posted by Jon at 04:01 PM | Comments (1)

Megan's family...

Let's see...We've got pictures of Jonah, pictures of us, pictures of our friends, pictures of our friends babies, and even pictures of our dog. But what we don't have, until now, is pictures of our families. I decided to start with Megan's family, as I have not known them as long as I have known mine. Duh. Let's start with Megan. I met my sweetie at a birthday party she was throwing for herself. Not long after that, we began dating, and about a year after that, we were engaged to be married. But something funny happened on the way to that engagement; I met her family. What's funny about that is that I met them mere months after we first started dating. We met at a fantastic restaurant in the city where Megan's brother and sister live. (It quickly became one of my favorites, and we have been there a few times since.) I guess that upon meeting sister, brother, father and stepmother, I was nervous. But as dinner went on, and the conversation flowed, I felt about as comfortable as I could be. I felt a little pressure from Megan's stepmother Deb, but more on that later. As I learned later on, Megan, Abby and Keir are very close. After losing their mother Nancy to breast cancer, they came together, supported each other, and looked out for each other. It was nice to see that, and I looked forward to getting to know the Davis family better. Well, I guess I did that, as I married in. Since then, I have spent time at the beach with them, spent time in Pittsburgh with them, and spent time at Christmas with them. It just keeps getting better!

And now for some pictures! (In no particular order, so as not to show any favoritisim...) This is Megan's family. From the back row, left to right, we have Megan's brother Keir, Megan's father Larry, Larry's wife Deb, Megan's sister Abby, then my wife Megan (with Jonah) and Keir's wife Jennifer, holding her brand new baby girl, Caroline Leigh.

This is Megan's Dad, Larry. He lives near Pittsburgh, PA, with his wife, Deb. They have a fantastic home that I sadly don't have any pictures of to show you. I will work on that. These are some pictures from this past weekend, when Larry and Deb came to see their new granddaughter, Caroline. And, in typical Deb style, she spent more time with the newest one, and Larry, not one to complain, spent his time with Jonah. Jonah wasn't complaining either. This is grandbaby number two for Megan's family, so they are getting used to having a lot of babies around.

Yes, Jonah may be too young to eat the cookie, but there is nothing stopping him from dreaming about the cookie. (He certainly drools like he's dreaming about cookies...)

Next, is Larry's wife Deb. She is Keir's, Abby's and Megan's stepmother. It was at the first meeting when Deb put "the pressure" on me, and it has been squarely on me ever since. Even though I married their oldest daughter, and even though we had a child first, there is always "the pressure". I don't think I can ever escape it, and I've tried to pass the pressure on to Keir, but it didn't seem to work. I'm not sure, but I think the pressure is back on me, after using the words "chunkey monkey", and directing those words at the wrong person. If you get the chance, ask Deb, she'll tell you. As I said before, Deb likes the newest little ones, and wasted no time settling in with Caroline. This is grandbaby number four for Deb, so she's a veteran at this.

Nothing better than a sleeping baby....

And finally, the G'parents holding their G'babies...

If you have visited my weblog, then you have no doubt seen Megan's sister Abby before. Abby is a fantastic sister in law, and a wonderful Aunt to our boy Jonah. She absolutely spoils the boy rotten, but, as Jonah was her first Nephew, how could she resist? She can now focus on spoiling Caroline, who looks forward, I'm sure, to all of Aunt Abby's love, affection and attention.

So you've undoubtedly noticed that there is no picture of Abby with her newest Niece Caroline. Well, you can thank Deb for that, who kept Caroline all to herself. Oh well. You get to see more pictures of Abby with Jonah!

Without the help of Megan's brother Keir, there would be no Outofhans.com. For real. I first thought of something like this when we found out that Jonah was on his way, but there was no way I could handle it. Thankfully, Keir was on the job.

Speaking of jobs, there is Keir working on his latest one, his beautiful daughter Caroline. But she's not work. She is a fantastically cute little girl!

And Keir (and Jennifer) can now relax with Caroline in their brand new, ultra comfortable La-Z-Boy! No fighting over the chair you three!

As in-laws, Jennifer and I share a common bond. We both married into this wonderful family, and are both learning new things about our families every day. No examples, because I don't want to get yelled at. Again. But one thing is for sure, this family sure does make some cute babies!

Before there was Caroline, there was Maggie. Instantly, the family of three became four!

Abby, Megan and Keir also have cousins, uncles and aunts who, again, sadly, I don't have pictures of. I will work on that. But we just got a picture of cousin Grieg's daughter, Isabella Zuzu, and a picture of Grieg. What a cutie!

Well, that's it for Megan's family, for now.

Posted by Jon at 03:53 PM | Comments (1)

Why Not?

It occured to me that we have lots of pictures of just about everything and everyone else, but none of just Megan and I. So, here's one on our wedding day! Enjoy!

Posted by Jon at 03:18 PM | Comments (0)

June 19, 2005

Caroline Is Here!

For the second time in much less than a week, and on Father's Day no less, I am pleased to announce the birth of another baby! Last Wednesday we welcomed Samantha into the world, this time, say hello to Caroline Leigh!

The newest edition to our family joined us at 6:25am on Thursday June 16th, 2005. She weighed 9 pounds 14 ounces, and was 22 and a half inches long! She is quite a chunky monkey, but a beautiful little girl as well!

Pictures taken in hospitals, in my opinion, are never glamorous, but if you look closely enough, Jenn and Keir are both glowing!

What a proud Papa!

She's had a long and very interesting journey, and now she needs to sleep!

Did I mention Keir was a proud Papa?

Nothing cuter than a sleeping baby!

Extreme closeup!

Daughter looking up at Dad!

And finally, two of the proudest Aunts in Greensboro! We are so excited that Caroline is here! Since Jenn had to have a C-section, she was still in the hospital, and not feeling very well. However, she looked great, and was hoping to be discharged from the hospital sometime today, Sunday June 19th, 2005. We will be visiting again next weekend, as Keir's father and step mom will be in town, so check back here for more cute pcitures. And if you've noticed, I have not mentioned my son Jonah at all, this entire posting. Until now. (It's not always about Jonah, I guess.) Anyway, wouldn't you know it, while we were in town, Jonah came down with this fourth, yes, fourth ear infection. Goodness! How could such a young boy (five and half months old) get that many ear infections? Yow! He is doing well, though, just congested and coughing a bit. As a result, we could not take him back inside the hospital to visit one last time, and to wish Keir a Happy Father's Day! On that note, three new fathers are celebrating today, me, Jason and Keir! Happy F-Day to all of us!

Posted by Jon at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2005

Samantha's Here!

It is my pleasure to announce the birth of Samantha Riley, born on June 15th, 2005, to Jason and Sara! She weighed in at 6 pounds 15 ounces, and measured 19 and one quarter inches long! She was born at 11:31 this morning! Congratulations Jason, Sara, and to both of their families! We are going to visit Sara, Samantha and Jason later this afternoon, and I'll have pics up here on the blog later, so check back! Mazel Tov!

Before...

After...

Here is proud Papa Jason holding his first born. She is his little girl, and will always be. She is a little angel.

Here is a tired, but energized Mom, who deserves a break, but can't bear to put her new daughter down!

Our visit to see Jason and Sara's new little angel was WAY, WAY, WAY too brief. The Hospital has a strange and awful rule that if you have any children younger than one year old, then they have to stay outside the birth center. That forced Megan and I to switch off, and we didn't have much time to visit with our friends, who have just had an adorable little baby! Germs, contagions and the like I suppose are to blame for this rule, but it just made me mad.

But then, I looked at this wonderful little girl that Sara and Jason brought into this world, and I sort of forgot about that lousy rule. Sort of. Anyway, Samantha Riley is beautiful, and we look forward to spending lots of time with her, Jason and Sara, and we can't wait to watch Jonah, Noah and Samantha all grow up togehter! Please keep an eye on this 'blog, as we will have more pics up as soon as we get them! Again, congratulations Jason and Sara, and welcome to the wild and wonderful world of parenthood!

This just in, at 4:15pm, 6-15-05, Megan tells me that Jennifer is in labor, and she and Keir are on their way to the hospital! Another one! We expect Caroline Leigh to join us some time on Thursday, June 16th. Keep an eye on the 'blog for more updates, and pictures later this weekend! Whoo-Hoo!

Before...

After...

For the after pics, please see the Caroline's Here! section! New, fantastic pictures are there! I promise! Go ahead! See you there!

Posted by Jon at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)

June 05, 2005

Megan's Family...

Let's see...We've got pictures of Jonah, pictures of us, pictures of our friends, pictures of our friends babies, and even pictures of our dog. But what we don't have, until now, is pictures of our families. I decided to start with Megan's family, as I have not known them as long as I have known mine. Duh. Let's start with Megan. I met my sweetie at a birthday party she was throwing for herself. Not long after that, we began dating, and about a year after that, we were engaged to be married. But something funny happened on the way to that engagement; I met her family. What's funny about that is that I met them mere months after we first started dating. We met at a fantastic restaurant in the city where Megan's brother and sister live. (It quickly became one of my favorites, and we have been there a few times since.) I guess that upon meeting sister, brother, father and stepmother, I was nervous. But as dinner went on, and the conversation flowed, I felt about as comfortable as I could be. I felt a little pressure from Megan's stepmother Deb, but more on that later. As I learned later on, Megan, Abby and Keir are very close. After losing their mother Nancy to breast cancer, they came together, supported each other, and looked out for each other. It was nice to see that, and I looked forward to getting to know the Davis family better. Well, I guess I did that, as I married in. Since then, I have spent time at the beach with them, spent time in Pittsburgh with them, and spent time at Christmas with them. It just keeps getting better!

And now for some pictures! (In no particular order, so as not to show any favoritisim...) This is Megan's family. From the back row, left to right, we have Megan's brother Keir, Megan's father Larry, Larry's wife Deb, Megan's sister Abby, then my wife Megan (with Jonah) and Keir's wife Jennifer, holding her brand new baby girl, Caroline Leigh.

This is Megan's Dad, Larry. He lives near Pittsburgh, PA, with his wife, Deb. They have a fantastic home that I sadly don't have any pictures of to show you. I will work on that. These are some pictures from this past weekend, when Larry and Deb came to see their new granddaughter, Caroline. And, in typical Deb style, she spent more time with the newest one, and Larry, not one to complain, spent his time with Jonah. Jonah wasn't complaining either. This is grandbaby number two for Megan's family, so they are getting used to having a lot of babies around.

Yes, Jonah may be too young to eat the cookie, but there is nothing stopping him from dreaming about the cookie. (He certainly drools like he's dreaming about cookies...)

Next, is Larry's wife Deb. She is Keir's, Abby's and Megan's stepmother. It was at the first meeting when Deb put "the pressure" on me, and it has been squarely on me ever since. Even though I married their oldest daughter, and even though we had a child first, there is always "the pressure". I don't think I can ever escape it, and I've tried to pass the pressure on to Keir, but it didn't seem to work. I'm not sure, but I think the pressure is back on me, after using the words "chunkey monkey", and directing those words at the wrong person. If you get the chance, ask Deb, she'll tell you. As I said before, Deb likes the newest little ones, and wasted no time settling in with Caroline. This is grandbaby number four for Deb, so she's a veteran at this.

Nothing better than a sleeping baby....

And finally, the G'parents holding their G'babies...

If you have visited my weblog, then you have no doubt seen Megan's sister Abby before. Abby is a fantastic sister in law, and a wonderful Aunt to our boy Jonah. She absolutely spoils the boy rotten, but, as Jonah was her first Nephew, how could she resist? She can now focus on spoiling Caroline, who looks forward, I'm sure, to all of Aunt Abby's love, affection and attention.

So you've undoubtedly noticed that there is no picture of Abby with her newest Niece Caroline. Well, you can thank Deb for that, who kept Caroline all to herself. Oh well. You get to see more pictures of Abby with Jonah!

Without the help of Megan's brother Keir, there would be no Outofhans.com. For real. I first thought of something like this when we found out that Jonah was on his way, but there was no way I could handle it. Thankfully, Keir was on the job.

Speaking of jobs, there is Keir working on his latest one, his beautiful daughter Caroline. But she's not work. She is a fantastically cute little girl!

And Keir (and Jennifer) can now relax with Caroline in their brand new, ultra comfortable La-Z-Boy! No fighting over the chair you three!

As in-laws, Jennifer and I share a common bond. We both married into this wonderful family, and are both learning new things about our families every day. No examples, because I don't want to get yelled at. Again. But one thing is for sure, this family sure does make some cute babies!

Before there was Caroline, there was Maggie. Instantly, the family of three became four!

Abby, Megan and Keir also have cousins, uncles and aunts who, again, sadly, I don't have pictures of. I will work on that. But we just got a picture of cousin Grieg's daughter, Isabella Zuzu, and a picture of Grieg. What a cutie!

Well, that's it for Megan's family, for now.

Posted by Jon at 12:36 AM | Comments (0)

Jonah At Eight Days Old...

Before Jonah was born, Megan and I talked a lot about how we were going to raise our family. There were countless issues, but one of the biggest was religion. Since Megan is not Jewish and I am, it was important to me that our son be raised Jewish. In a most selfless and generous act, Megan said that she would have no problem raising Jonah in accordance with the Jewish religion. As such, one of the first introductions into the Jewish faith for all Jewish males, is the circumcision. The centuries old ritual takes place eight days after the birth. The ceremony is conducted by a Mohel, (pronounced moy-el) who can either be a Rabbi, or a doctor. Jonah's ceremony was performed by Doctor Richard Adelman, a doctor here in our town.

The circumcision is a tradition that stretches back many centuries, and it is intended to remind us of our connection to our religion. It is a somewhat solemn occasion, but that didn't stop us from partying!

It is a time of celebration as well, and a great excuse to come see a newborn child! We had many people over, including my sister Gabrielle and her family, my father and his wife, our friends Sara, Jason, Emily, Amanda, Sharon, Marc, Noah, Jonah's Aunt Abby, (Megan's sister) Jonah's Aunt Jennifer, and his Great Grandma Sara. (I hope I didn't forget anyone.) Since the ceremony includes the removal of the foreskin, there is a fair amount of pain involved, both for the newborn, and the mother. However, never fear, for Aunt Abby is here! Just before the Mohel begins, Aunt Abby gives Jonah some wine, to help him forget his troubles. (Holding him is Jonah's Gandfather, my Dad, Fred.

Sure the boy got some wine, but Megan sure wish she had something to help her forget! It wasn't easy, but Jonah made it through with flying colors, and so, I am happy to report, did Megan.

Soon after the ceremony, Jonah was none too happy about it, and here is how he showed his disapproval at what just happened:

But despite flipping us off, Jonah really was none the worse for wear. He handled the day very well, and has grown well, as you can see by our reports and our pictures. But I feel this need to tell you every detail of his life, and so, every now and again, I find some of our digital pictures, and decide that they have to go on the 'blog. And so here they are.

Posted by Jon at 12:01 AM | Comments (1)