Touche Jeff-

In whatever attempt guys have at making fun of each other for whatever reason... it seems a war is brewing between Ross and our new BIL, Jeff. Now this is all in good fun, so hopefully the humor continues as the war rages on:) Before I share the latest, photo included, I better go back to fill you in...

Ross and I were thinking of living where Ross would have a commute to work and so he actually thought of buying a commuter car, Jeff made a crack at Ross driving a mini weeneenee (that is the sound it makes) vehicle.

Score: Jeff 1, Ross 0

At Jeff and Bree's wedding Ross decides to enlighten him about the "MAN CARD" and offer to give him one, entitled Jeff Sievers-Johnston and attempt to take points away for shopping at certain stores.

Score: Jeff 1, Ross 1 ... all tied up

But Ross pulls ahead with his Brokeback Mountain DVD for Jeff's Christmas present...

Score: Jeff 1, Ross 2

And now, to tie it up once again, we get a little delivery in the mail telling us Ross will be receiving a subscription to GQ, that's right, Gentleman's Quarterly, not a motorcycle magazine or tool magazine or anything like that. As most of you know, it is the perfect anti-Ross gift. Touche Jeff, I may even give you 2 points for that one. Here is Ross with his gift:


I think I may read it more than he does.
Anyway, boys will be boys I guess...

Our Future Lawyer

Zoey was really tired and grumpy this evening and was just fighting us on everything. So Ross had a funny conversation with her:

Ross: Zoey, you need to listen to me.
Zoey: Listen is not a word, I don't need to do it.

His only response, "Oh, Zoey, you and Daddy are going to butt heads later!!"

And she is only 4!! It is a constant battle with her sometimes, I can only imagine what is to come. She will argue anything you tell her, and at times she puts up a pretty good fight, if not an amusing one. I am already praying for help on dealing with things in the future. It is funny and ironic I suppose, that the things about Zoey that make her challenging to us right now are all because of personality traits that I am really glad she has, for later!! She is mentally and physically tough, she is very strong willed, she is quick to state her opinion and stand strong, she is independent and when she knows what she wants, is not shy about it at all, and she has an amazing brain and memory.

She also has the sweetest heart and does the nicest things for all of three of us, most of the time. A plus now,too, is that she also has a quirky sense of humor, so at least we always get a laugh out of things. She has a lot of traits that I (jill) don't have, and so I really look forward to watching her grow and seeing what she will become. Anyway, at the end of the day when they finally go to bed and you see them sleeping so sweetly, it always puts a smile back on my face and allows me to face another day.

Three day weekends are always so nice too. It gives us a day to rest and a day to play and a day to just get things done around the house. We went to the aquarium on Saturday. We got a year pass. It pays for itself in 2 visits, so we have already gone twice this year. The kids love it. I think by the end of the year, Zoey will know all the names of the fish and sea creatures. Max really loves it too, so it is a fun thing for us. Outside of the Aquarium is a nice pathway to walk along and see the ocean and see the city of Long Beach and the kids can just run all around. A nice day for all!!

Zoey Singing

Just trying to add video to this blog thing!! Here is Zoey singing, with drink in hand, a song she sings at preschool!!

Why we live in Southern California...

People thought we were crazy when they found out that not only were we moving here, but that we had chosen it and were excited about it... But this is one of the reasons... today was 78 degrees and we were playing in the yard wearing shorts and short sleeves!! Gotta love that on January 9th!!

But WHY???

People told us that this would come... we weren't sure when it would happen, but the never ending why question is now upon us!!

It was almost like a switch. One day Zoey didn't ask why, and then the next day, she did. Sometimes it is just like how people joke about it,
Zoey: Why are there four people in the car?
R/J: Because that is our family, Mommy, Daddy, Zoey and Max
Zoey: But why?
R/J: That is just how many people we have
Zoey: But why?
But why? But Why?

Sometimes it is very detailed why questions...
Zoey: Why do we live here and everyone else lives somewhere else?
Me: Well, we live here because daddy's work is here.
Zoey: But why does daddy's work have to be here, why can't it be somewhere else?
Me: It can be somewhere else, remember we used to live in Massachusetts...
Zoey: But why did we live in Massachusetts, why didn't we live somewhere else, like Florida??...

You get the picture, it is never ending. But it definitely makes for interesting conversation and it is very neat to see her learning process. Not to mention, she remembers everything. The other day she asked why we didn't go somewhere and I told her it was really far away and we could get stuck in traffic, she asked why there was traffic and I sarcastically said there was just way too many people and cars in California. Today we were driving along and she asks about all the people and cars in California and why there are so many... I started to get into a whole discussion on immigration with her, but figured I should keep it to myself. I guess this is just the beginning!

Christmas Photos- a little late!!

I finally have pictures from Christmas to put on here. Here is a great picture of Zoey by the tree at Grandma and Papa's house:


And here is Max before going to church:


Here are Max and Josh playing trains. Josh gave us his Thomas stuff and Max is loving it!!

This one is funny. It is Josh and Zoey eating seaweed and rice... probably not the most common thing for two young ones to be eating, but they chowed down!!



A cute one of Rachel and Max:




And a bunch of them... not everyone is looking but it is Zoey, Rachel, Max, Tina and Joshua!!



So we had fun. I didn't take too many pictures, but these were kind of neat ones with the cousins. I should be back to more regular blogging now that things are getting more settled after the holidays!!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year to all!!
I wish you all a very blessed 2007, and for the Lucas family, also a very speedy one!! We have been out of town or visiting with family, so I haven't had very much time to blog. But since we were actually visiting with the people who probably are reading this, it was pretty much an even trade. I still have to put some cute pictures from Christmas on here.

With the new year and talk of resolutions, I have been hearing a lot about internet addictions and spending too much time on-line. There are definitely some very weird things out there, especially in the land of blogs (I think they call it the blogoshere, but I am not sure). Anyway, since my intention was to keep friends and family more in the loop with the daily adventures of Max and Zoey and just stay more in touch, I don't think it has become a problem on my end. I am enjoying sharing and hope that you all post more if you desire. It is great to read your comments. It is easy to post. You just have to create an account, which is free, and comment away.

As for me and New Years, I am always a little behind with resolutions and stuff, so I may have to get back to you on that!! I did read a good idea about making it more of a quarterly goal and write in your calendar on Apr 1, Jul 1, and Oct 1 to evaluate your goals... It keeps them a little fresher in your mind and thus a little easier to achieve. I thought it was a good idea, so just passing it along. Anyway, many blessings to you all in the New Year!