Happy 2010!!!

It's the first day of 2010, which is a great day to reflect on the past year. Wow, it's been a fun year and very busy. That's life with 2 boys!

Evan is 6 and in 1st grade. Following after his daddy, video games are his love. His favorites are Super Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Lego Star Wars, Little Big Planet, and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (the game Jason worked on). Even when he is playing with toys like blocks & Legos, he turns it into a video game. He is growing up and lost 3 teeth this year. During the fall, Evan played soccer on an AYSO team named the Green Jets. They had a lot of fun, improved a great deal over the season, and even won a few games!

Quinn is 3 and full of energy! His obsession this year is Harry Potter. During a trip to the science center, Quinn got a cut on his forehead. Jason explained to him about Harry Potter and thus it started. He says spells from the movies and also makes up new ones. "Wingardium leviosa" for raising things and "wingardium downasay" for lowering items. He even dressed up at Harry Potter for Halloween.

I am now working full-time at the University of Southern California (USC) for the Viterbi School of Engineering. I really enjoy teaching students how to program and create websites. Tracy and I went to Disneyland on our birthday since it was free this year. We also attended our 20 year high school reunion. Can we really be that old?

Jason has had a very successful year. His book Game Engine Architecture was released in June and is up for a Game Developer Magazine's FrontLine Award. He has continued to work at Naughty Dog, and they released their latest PS3 game - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. It won three coveted Spike TV Video Game Awards (VGAs): Best PS3 Game, Best Graphics and, most importantly, Game of the Year!

This year we added another member to our extended family -- our nanny, Aimee Conner. She has been a true godsend -- our very own Mary Poppins! Not only is Aimee loved and respected by our boys, but she is also an incredible cook and patissier. Her cinnamon rolls are to die for!

In October, we all went camping to celebrate Grandpa O's birthdays! The boys had fun sleeping in a tent.

In July, we all went to Las Vegas for my cousin Jessica's wedding to Cole Nichols. We had a wonderful time, and Jae looked like a model in her wedding gown.

In December, we went to Phoenix to celebrate Kyle's graduation from ASU and commission into the Air Force. We are so proud of both of them!

While we were in Phoenix, we celebrated Christmas with the Davis family. Here's a photo of all of us in red shirts - in honor of Mom.

Over the year we have spent much time with the Provins family especially with their new addition - Cooper. The cousins love being together!

We had fun celebrating Christmas together at the Provins' house. The boys look so cute in their "candy canes" pjs.

The Gregory Family hopes that your 2010 is filled with happiness, health, and love!

Check out this cool widget provided by the publisher of Jason's book, AK Peters:

Jason's got game...

Jason authored this book, and it is now available on several websites including Amazon, Borders, and Barnes & Noble.

This book covers both the theory and practice of game engine software development, bringing together complete coverage of a wide range of topics. Intended as the text for a college level series in game programming, this book can also be used by amateur software engineers, hobbyists, self-taught game programmers, and existing members of the game industry. Junior game engineers can use it to solidify their understanding of game technology and engine architecture. Even senior engineers who specialize in one particular field of game development can benefit from the bigger picture presented in these pages.

Jason been working very hard on it for the past 2 years. He wrote every word (860+ pages worth), created all the diagrams, and even designed the front cover. What an accomplishment!



He continues to work as a game programmer at Naughty Dog on the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves game. This new game for the PS3 will be available in the fall. At E3 (the world's largest video games trade show), Uncharted 2 won many awards. Game Critics Awards, a group of game critics from mainstream and enthusiast publications in North America, named the PlayStation 3-exclusive Uncharted 2: Among Thieves E3 2009's Best of Show. In all, Uncharted 2 garnered these awards: Best of Show, Best Console Game, and Best Action/Adventure Game.

Here are the other awards they received:
Game Trailers - Best Third-Person Shooter
Platform Nation - Best Game of E3
G4 - Best of Show & Best PS3 Game
Game Focus - Best of Show, Best Action/Adventure & Best PS3 Game
1UP - Best of Show & Best PS3 Game
GameBlog - Best of Show, Best Action/Adventure, Best Graphics & Best Sound
Future Shop - Game of the show
Totally Rad Show - Game of the Show
IGN Australia - Best game of E3 2009
GameSpy - PS3 Game of Show
Crispy Gamer - PS3 Game of Show

All of Jason's hard work (and that of his co-workers) is really paying off.
We are very proud!

Happy VI Birthday EVAN

Using the force, Evan, his friends and his family had a great time celebrating his 6th birthday on June 14. (His actual birthday is June 15.)
Just like his dad, Evan is a huge Star Wars fan.



Evan designed his own cake and wanted it in the shape of 2 lightsabers. With inspiration from Ace of Cakes, Jason & Trina created his cake. The red lightsaber (the dark side) is chocolate cake, and the blue lightsaber (the good side) is white cake (actually butter). We used fondant for the handles and sparkly sugar glitter for the lightsabers. Jason even wrote Evan in "Star Wars" font. Click on the image for a closer look.
(Just don't ask how long it took to make. What we do for our kids!)



Evan insisted on getting a photo of him & his friend Ben pretending to fight with the lightsabers.



It was a wonderful day spending time with family & friends. We are blessed!

March Fun

On St. Patrick's Day, Evan's kindergarten class and another kindergarten class did some Irish dancing for the parents and the entire school.

(Then a leprechaun rearranged his classroom.)

Here is Evan walking into the auditorium, and then he is posing after the performance.

Evan and Maya dancing during the performance.


The next day Quinn's preschool class went ice skating. 

Quinn's favorite part was the hot cocoa afterwards and watching the zambonis.