February 2008 Photos
The February 2008 photo galleries for Berkeley, Eliana, and Olivia are now closed. The galleries can be reviewed at Berkeley's web site, Eliana's web site, and Olivia's web site. Or just access the galleries directly using the following links:

Berkeley's February 2008 Gallery ... (5 years, 7 months old)
Eliana's February 2008 Gallery ... (3 years, 11 months old)
Olivia's February 2008 Gallery ... (1 year, 7 months old)

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Stair Baluster Install
Paul returned to the site yesterday to finish up the stair install. He needs to install about, oh, I estimate maybe 150 balusters up the flight of stairs and around the stairwell in the attic. He made it up two flights of stairs yesterday, and made it up to the attic today and got partially around the outside of the stairwell. He'll return next Monday and polish it off.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Final Finish Carpentry
A crew of three finish carpenters showed up today. They were tasked with hanging doors and installing hardware. They most of it done but will need to return tomorrow to finish a few little things. They brought with them the brackets for the beam intersections. They look fantastic... far exceeding our expectations!

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Final Coat on Floors
The hardwoods were buffed down and then received the final coat today. They look great. I am absolutely 100% pleased... ok, let's say 99% pleased to save room for some complaints later. With the floors now done, the finish carpenters and stair subcontractor will be in soon to hand the doors and install the balusters (respectively). Almost there. Maybe at the end of next week it will all be done?

The PS3
Remember back when I explained why my kids won't have a video game console? Yeah, it was just a little over a month ago. Today I went down to Fry's electronics and bought a Sony Playstation 3. Furthermore, our standalone DVD player downstairs died. So I bought the $15 Xbox 1 media package while at Fry's so that I could just use my Xbox to play DVDs on the downstairs TV.

After our new TV gets installed (on Friday), we will have an Xbox downstairs in the family room and a PS3 up in the attic. Good job me! Way to take to a position and stick to it!

lol.

I bought the PS3 for the primary purpose of playing Blu-Ray movies on the new TV. I made my first Blu-Ray purchases today... that of Superman and BBC's Planet Earth. I also rented my first Blu-Ray movie today, Chicago, from the Blockbuster up in Redmond (my local Blockbuster doesn't carry Blu-Ray titles yet). Should be a fun weekend.

Berkeley Loses the Training Wheels
The weather has been warming up. Kristy took the kids outside to ride bikes for the first time in awhile it seems. Berkeley decided that he didn't want his training wheels on his bike any longer and asked that I remove them:

"I can ride my bike without training wheels Daddy, I'm ready."

"Are you sure?", I had my doubts.

"Yes, I know I can."

So I obliged and took off his training wheels... and sure enough, he was right... he was ready. He took off and was cruising around the cul-de-sac as if the wheels were never on. There was no "running alongside the bike pushing the kid down the pavement" moment. He just decided he was ready and he did it - no looking back. Oh and he didn't fall... not once.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: The Status of the Hardwoods
So, before we left for our trip to Arizona, I mentioned that we were going to have our floors completely re-sanded, re-stained... just completely re-done while we were gone. I'm happy to report that the hardwoods look 1,000,000 times better (yes, that is 1 million). The hardwood subs showed up today to put the first of the two final coats on the floors. We requested that the same stuff be used on the new floors that was applied to the rest of the house. It is already dry up there this evening and it looks absolutely wonderful. We are so relieved.

Reading English
I pity those that must learn English as a second language. I was laying in bed tonight with Berkeley reading a book with him. He reads "the easy words" and I read the "hard" words. We read from a library book he brought home from school, a Scooby Doo story. He is really trying hard to read. But English is hard. There are so many exceptions to the rules, that I think it must be maddening to anyone trying to learn.

Take one example - the word "feet". When Berkeley sounds it out he does Fuh-eh-eh-teh. "Fet" he proudly proclaims. Well son, you see when there are two e's together it makes the sound of the letter... the long "eeee". This word is fuh-eee-teh... "feet". And of course we ran into a few words with a silent e at the end (e.g. race, a word which also has a C that sounds like an S). It's nothing short of craziness.

When people find out I served a mission to Taiwan and can (or rather used to) speak and read Mandarin, they usually say something like "that must have been really hard." Actually, learning English makes learning Chinese look like a cake walk. Chinese is a beautifully simple language and is actually quite easy to learn. But English, oh boy.

Mid-Winter Break in Arizona: Return Home
We flew back home early this morning (7:00am flight). We flew first class and occupied Row 1. Berkeley and Eliana sat together on the left hand side of the plane. After we were seated (and before the coach passengers were boarded), the pilot came back and chatted with Berkeley and Eliana. I mentioned to the pilot that Berkeley wants to be a pilot someday, and he responded that "there is plenty of time to talk him out of it."

After everyone was boarded, the pilot called back to the head steward to have Berkeley come up and sit in the pilot's seat. As first Berkeley hesitated, but I gave him a nod that it was OK. The steward invited me to take a picture... which of course I did:

Later in the flight, Berkeley was drawing pictures of jet airplanes. On one such picture he scribbled red marker all over it:

"What's going with that airplane?", I asked.

"It caught on fire."

"Berkeley, are you worried that the plane will catch fire?", I said somewhat reassuringly.

"No, Daddy.", came the calm reply. "The pilot showed me the button where the fire extinguishers are... so if the plane catches fire, I can put it out."

"Oh. OK. Cool."

Mid-Winter Break in Arizona: Pool Play and Paying Respects
We hung out at the pool today in the morning and just relaxed (see pictures below).

Restaurant Review: Mary Eliane's

We spent the evening out with Tami/Windsor and dined at Mary Elaine's, the restaurant that sits on the top floor of The Phoenician resort in Scottsdale. The restaurant is marvelously decorated and has a wide view looking south across the valley of the sun. The service was impeccable. Aside from observing that there must have been at least 2 staff members on the dining floor for every guest in the restaurant, I immediately noticed the generous spacing between the tables. Very refreshing.

When we were seated we were given black or white napkins depending on the darkness or lightness of our apparel. Lady's handbags were not to be set on the floor, but instead were given footstools on which to rest... the footstools sat immediately adjacent to the dining chair of the purse owner. This had the benefit of allowing the purse owner to easily access the purse contents without so much as a small bend in the back. Very thoughtful.

Thoughout the night the service was omnipresent. If someone made so much as small movement to arise, a member of the staff was there to pull the chair back, take the patron's napkin, and dust the chair of any crumbs. Before the patron returned a new napkin was placed on the vacant chair. Very attentive.

The food was also quite good. I had the Seared Foie Gras which was quite wonderfully prepared and served with caramelized figs and a blood orange marmalade. The rest of the party ordered salads. The salad must have been pretty good, because Kristy even ate the artichokes served with the salad (not her favorite thing). Both appetizers cost as much as a main entrée at most other restaurants ($28 and $21 respectively). $21 for a small salad?! Please.

For our entrées, Tami and both ordered the "prime beef" (at $50 per plate) and Kristy and Windsor ordered the lamb (at $49/plate). My beef was not anything unusual... a good solid presentation (served with some delightful mushrooms) and a good solid taste. I sampled Kristy's lamb, which was served with some couscous, hummus, and green curry. Very tasty.

For dessert, both Tami and Windsor played it safe with some classic crème brûlée. I had the sorbet (which I order when nothing else strikes my fancy). Kristy went out on a limb and ordered the "Yuzu Mousse and Jivara". From the wiki:

The yuzu's flavor is tart, closely resembling that of the grapefruit, with overtones of Mandarin orange. It is rarely eaten as a fruit, though in the Japanese cuisine its aromatic zest (outer rind) is used to garnish some dishes, and its juice is commonly used as a seasoning, somewhat like the way the lemon is used in other cuisine.

Kristy let me have a bite of the mousse - it was quite good. The mousse was accompanied with a Valrhona "Jivara" chocolate cream that was served side by side on the same plate. Two very unique and different tastes - we were both very impressed.

Summary: $30/plate food at $50/plate prices.

Mid-Winter Break in Arizona: Enchanted Island
Berkeley, Eliana, and I traveled down from Scottsdale to Phoenix today to try out Enchanted Island Amusement Park. It is a small theme park set on a man-made island in a rural park somewhere in Phoenix. The rides would bore any kid over 8, but were perfect for Berkeley and Eliana. Since school is still in session around here, there were no crowds to speak of and there were no lines longer the capacity of the ride themselves (no waiting). After lunch it started to drizzle and the park emptied. What little rain fell didn't faze my kids one bit! Aside from the staff, the three of us were literally the only persons in the park for the last hour of operation. I think that if we would have decided to leave before closing time, they would have shut down the place for the day. But we stayed until closing time and rode the very last ride.

The pictures are shown below. One note... Berkeley said he wanted to ride the train four times while we there. The train runs every half hour. He was pretty excited about the first ride (pictured), but by the end of the day and on his 4th ride Berkeley was pretty run down.

While at the park, Berkeley and Eliana tried out a photograph booth. Here are the results:

Cute!

Restaurant Review: Rancho de Tia Rosa

We went out to dinner with family tonight, both ourselves and the Amundsens. Tami suggested we go to a local favorite Mexican restaurant, Rancho de Tia Rosa. It's just down the road from where they live. When we arrived at approximately 6:30, we found that the parking lot was entirely full and a restaurant lobby full of patrons waiting to be seated. Apparently Tami was right, this restaurant is the local favorite. Tami was baffled as to why it was so busy on a Thursday night.

Despite having a "reservation" we still had to wait about 20 minutes for table... which would be fine if we didn't have three starving Mexican jumping beans. Apparently (in the immortal words of Jerry Seinfeld) Rancho de Tia Rosa knows how to "take" a reservation, but doesn't know how to "hold" a reservation. Ah well... we had plenty of time to look at the restaurant decor, which was not in short supply.

The Rancho de Tia Rosa menu features standard fare. Kristy ordered up the Carne Asada and I ordered a Chile Relleno. My chile relleno was good; one large chile stuffed with pork picadillo (tomatoes and some other veggies). I would have liked it a bit spicier, but I didn't see any condiments on the table and I was too busy (with the kids) to remember to ask. There was plenty of food... I might even have to complain (albeit very slightly) that my chile was over-stuffed. I like the roasted pepper part of the chile relleno, so my own preference would have been more chiles with less stuffing. But I digress... it was still tasty. Kristy appeared to enjoy her food and kids gobbled up their dinners (after the long wait).

Summary: Above average food at value prices.

Mid-Winter Break in Arizona: Phoenix Zoo
We spent the day at the zoo today. It's a decent zoo... the kids enjoyed the petting area, the camel rides, and the carousel ride. The kids spent the majority of the time on the carousel or at the camel rides. But the carousel was, by far, the most popular attraction at the zoo today... see pictures below.

Mid-Winter Break in Arizona: Day in Mesa
I spent another day working today while Kristy took the kids out. She traveled over to Mesa and spent the day with her sister in and around Mesa. They had lunch at a park, fed some ducks, and visited the Mesa Arizona Temple... see pictures below.

In the evening, Kristy and I attended a junket thrown by our financial adviser group at Morgan Stanley. It was held at the prestigious Royal Palms. The grounds and the decor were stunning (we should have stayed there - though it doesn't look kid friendly). The food was very tasty, especially the appetizers. The program put together by our hosts, which included a talk by Ben Inker of GMO was exceptional... Kristy, who expected a dry and boring economics presentation, also enjoyed it very much.

Mid-Winter Break in Arizona: McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park
We are staying in Scottsdale while here in Arizona (at the Orange Tree Golf Resort). I spent the day at the resort working while Kristy took the kids to a local railroad park (see pictures below). In the evening we went over the the Amundsens for dinner and dessert.

Restaurant Review: Rubio's

When visiting Rubio's... don't mess around... just get the fish tacos. Two of them. Forget the combo. And don't get the "especial" version (it isn't as good). Choose the corn tortillas (the flour tortillas would be sacrilege). Enjoy them, savor them... every last bite.

And then curse Rubio's that they haven't opened up a shop yet in the Puget Sound Area.

Summary: Best Fish Tacos

Mid-Winter Break in Arizona: President's Day
We spent the day with the Amundsen's. We pretty much spent the whole day outside in the 70° weather, much of it at a local park (see pictures below). Despite the lack of overlap in ages, our kids and Tami's kids seem to enjoy playing together quite a bit. These cousins are complete strangers, so it was nice that they hit it off so well on the first day.

Mid-Winter Break in Arizona: Flying First Class
We are spending the mid-winter break in Arizona. We will visit with Kristy's sister Tami and her husband, Windsor, and their seven kids. Berkeley, Eliana, and Olivia have never met this group of cousins. Berkeley is 5½ so it's been awhile since we were down for a visit. Tami's youngest (Kate) is 9 and her oldest (David) is 23 and is the oldest grandchild on Kristy's side. David was recently married; Kristy attended the ceremony.

So, we are going to be, or rather, we are here in Arizona for the next week. We ended up flying first class. When we canceled our San Diego trip last Thanksgiving, Alaska would not issue a refund but a credit instead against future travel (the tickets were a bit over $500/ticket). I came to find out that the credit was a "one time use" and couldn't be applied to multiple trips. Furthermore, I had to use the credit within one year of the cancellation. Coach tickets to Phoenix were running about $275-$300. First class tickets were running around $650. So if I wanted to apply our credit to this trip, I had to either buy coach tickets and waste the difference (about $150/pp after taxes and fees), or I could spend another $200/pp (including taxes and fees) and fly first class. I chose the latter.

This kids loved the big seats and the bountiful amount of elbow room (who wouldn't?). They were exceptionally well-behaved during the entire flight (even Livy was good... a small miracle). I sat Berkeley and Eliana together on one side of the aisle; Kristy, Olivia, and myself sat on the other side. We were seated in Row 2 of the 4 row first class cabin.

The stewardess servicing the first class folk was very kind and checked in on Berkeley and Eliana quite often; asking them if they needed extra milk, water, or snacks. They weren't thrilled with the dinner served (grilled chicken caesar salad), but they ate well enough. After dinner they watched Cars if I recall correctly and then started into 12 Dancing Princesses before we started our descent into Phoenix. It was a great flight. Here are a couple of picture I took on board.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: First Look at Attic Hardwoods
Kristy and I (and Kristy's brother Scott) spent the day cleaning up the attic... getting everything off the floor and moved down to the dumpster, or to the garage, or on top of the window seats. We wouldn't to take a good long look at the quality of the attic wood floors. We are sad to report that they don't look too great when carefully examined. The stain application is very uneven and does not have the "depth" that our wood floors downstairs have.

As a result, we have decided to have the floors completely redone while we are on vacation next week in Phoenix (visiting Kristy's sister). We think that the results can be improved because I was able to contact our previous floor sub contractor and get the exact two-step dye/stain combination that was used to get the even results that exist on the downstairs hardwood floors.

I did snap a few pictures of the attic area... it's so close that we hate to take this drastic step of re-sanding down the floors and having the stain and finish redone. But, we really don't want any regrets. Enjoy!

Here are a couple of pictures of the new powder bathroom fixtures:

And the big picture:

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Final Paint
The painting crew has been working all week on the walls up in the attic. Today they stained the shingles on the kids playhouse and painted the "exterior" trim around the playhouse roof, door, and windows. It looks great. I'll snap some pictures tomorrow.

Special Cookie Time
Eliana and Olivia spent special time with me this evening making some chocolate chip cookies. I preserved the moment in picture:

(Update Sun Feb 24 18:23:43 PST 2008 // fixed links to pics)

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Electrical Trim Started
The electrical subcontractor showed up today to install all of the lights. They got a pretty good start, but must return tomorrow to finish up the job. Here a few pictures of what was completed today:

Dry Sinks
At one time today during the plumbing install, the plumbing crew had to turn off the water to the house. During that time, Eliana had to use the bathroom. I heard her down in her bathroom talking to her self:

"No water? Let me try another one."

"No water again! Grrrrr!"

"Dad! There is no water in my sinks, I tried them both."

* she then climbed a few stairs to the attic so she could see me *

"Dad, I'm so mad at my sinks right now!"

She calmed down later.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Plumbing Trim
The plumbing crew returned to the job site today to install the pedestal sink, faucet, and toilet in the powder bath and the faucet in the wet bar. Not too much to do really, but they still spent the entire day doing it. Time == money. They spent most of the time installing the pedestal sink and seemed to be pretty frustrated toward the end of the day. But we bought the brand (Toto) that they recommended. I guess the particular model we selected was a bit cumbersome. *shrug*

Here is one picture I took of the new fixtures (I'll post more later):

(Update Sat Feb 23 13:36:40 PST 2008 // added picture)

Pictures of Berkeley's T-Ball Class
I signed up Berkeley for a winter (indoor) T-Ball Class. Today was his 6th week and the first time I remembered to bring the camera. Kristy is unable to attend the class (because of work), so she has been asking for pics from the get-go. Apologies for the delay.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Roof Complete
Our one-man roofing crew (Jerry) finished the roof today. It was a pleasure talking with him up on the roof over this past month. He was slow and methodical, but he took great care in making sure it was done right. And I appreciate that. I'll snap a picture later this week. Here is a picture of the house with the new roof:

(Update Sat Feb 23 13:36:06 PST 2008 // added picture)

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: First Look at Millwork
The painting crew showed up this morning and tore down all of the masking they had so carefully put up to prep for the millwork painting. I crept upstairs in the afternoon and took a picture of the millwork in the light of day. The painting crew is already starting to mask over the millwork so that they can put a second coat of latex paint on the walls.

Friendship Festival 2008
Today we went to the annual "Friendship Festival" held at Eliana's preschool (Sammamish Learning Center). We did this last year when Berkeley was in preschool. But this year Eliana (and her classmates) were the focus of the festivities. We decorated a frame for a family picture (scan pending) and then enjoyed a program where Eliana sang a few songs she has been practicing. It was a nice evening.

(Update Sun Apr 6 10:37:10 PDT 2008 // added scan of picture)

Stake Conference
Today was Stake Conference and it was actually pretty good (we attended the morning session). Since Scott is in our same Stake and the Thurmonds have morning block this year, we used the excuse to get together for a family dinner. Matt is in bed with a broken ankle (for the last couple of weeks) - so we went over to the Thurmond house. Matt needed some help doing some stuff around the house which I was happy to oblige. We had a nice dinner and played some Tikal (Kristy won... two in a row).

Movie Review: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie

Summary: A made-for-DVD movie that you could go see on the big screen... or not.

Beverage Review: Root Beer: RockBottom Brewery

The RockBottom root beer is made on-site I'm told, brewed fresh in small batches that are no more than 2 days old... from tank to tap to glass. The beverage is very brown, has a deep dark aroma, and bitter to the taste. The bitterness reminds me of the root beer made in my home-town Red Rock brewpub. However, unlike the Red Rock stuff (review pending future visit to Red Rock) the RockBottom root beer seems to lack any real substance that would follow-up on the initial very pleasing aroma and taste. It starts, but it doesn't finish. But I can still nurse down a few during a meal with pleasure.

Restaurant Review: RockBottom Restaurant and Brewery

We dropped by the RockBottom restaurant in downtown Seattle for lunch today - all five of us. The lunch menu features standard pub-fare: burgers, sandwiches, salads, and soups. RockBottom also brews its own root beer.

For lunch today the kids ordered the usual (pizza, chicken nuggets, etc), Kristy ordered the house salad, and I ordered some chicken enchiladas after trying (and failing) to find my favorite dish... the Brown Ale Chicken (I later remembered that the Brown Ale Chicken is only served during dinner). Kristy's salad hit the spot (she said), and the kids seemed happy with their meals, but my chicken enchiladas were very poor... serves me right I guess for ordering Mexican food from a pub (duh!).

Summary: Stick with the Brown Ale Chicken and the home-brewed root beer.

Let Your Music Shine
We spent the day out of the house (for the most part) waiting for our house to air out. We had tickets to the symphony today - the Tiny Tots series - so we spent much of the day downtown. The kids all love attending the symphony and hearing the live music, which is performed by Lisa & Linda of "Let Your Music Shine" (in tandem with local musicians). Today's program, "Goldyhands and the Four Bows", was primarily about string instruments and featured Vivaldi's Four Seasons. After the show we walked over to RockBottom and had some lunch. The kids napped in the car and then we went to see Veggie Tales Pirates movie to round out the day.

Restaurant Review: Goldberg's Famous Delicatessen

Date of Visit: 29 Aug 2008

It seems incredible that our last visit to Goldbergs was just over 6 months ago... it seems like just yesterday. We returned again this evening for dinner; again after visiting the Children's museum in Factoria Mall. We learned our lesson from our last visit and ordered Berkeley and Eliana breakfast food (chocolate chip pancakes and French toast respectively) and ordered a hot dog and fries for Olivia. Kristy also had some French toast... very tasty stuff. I ordered a reuben sandwich with corned beef. It was huge! I ate half of it and brought the rest home. I ordered a slice of coconut cake for dessert... it was not that great; I woudn't order it again.

Date of Visit: 08 Feb 2008

We spent the evening at Factoria Mall tonight, we are again staying out of the house as much as we can in lieu of the ongoing millwork painting that is taking place today and yesterday. After some hand wringing while trying to decide on a restaurant, we eventually landed at Goldberg's Famous Delicatessen. Though the name of the restaurant seems somewhat presumptuous, we gave it a try anyway.

The first two things I noticed about Goldberg's deli: 1) it's rather spacious, and 2) the tables are not densely packed together. Great for family dining. The hostess was also nice enough to seat us in a corner booth. Even better.

The menu at Goldberg's features mostly soups and sandwiches as well as breakfast items served all day. Kristy picked out a chicken wrap. We ordered Berkeley and Eliana some pasta and Olivia a stack of pancakes. I opted for the "Challah French Toast". Kristy thoroughly enjoyed her chicken wrap. My French Toast was exceptional... crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Berkeley and Eliana rejected the pasta and ate Olivia's pancakes instead. Olivia was happy to trade - she didn't like the pancakes too much but loved the pasta. Nice job with the guessing there Dad (me).

Summary: Probably the best option for family dining in Factoria Mall.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Final Coat on Millwork
The painters the second and final coat of paint on the millwork today. And they laid it one much thicker than they did yesterday. The stairwell and the attic is all tented off to keep the fumes as contained as possible. Tomorrow I'll go up there and open a couple of windows. Even now, late in the evening it's hard to stay up in the attic for much longer than a few minutes without a mask (which I don't have). Because of the fumes, we stayed out late tonight with the kids and brought them home asleep. It sure will be nice to tear down this plastic.

Restaurant Review: La Casita

Date of Visit: 07 Oct 2008

We dropped by La Casita again tonight to escape a house full of paint fumes. I asked the kids where we should eat. Berkeley said "Mexican!" and Eliana said "Chinese!". After some tense negotiations, we reasoned with Eliana to get Mexican food at the nearby La Casita (with a promise to get some Chinese good tomorrow). We ordered the standard fare for the kids (quesadillas) and Kristy got the shrimp fajitas to split with me. The shrimp fajitas are served on a sizzling platter (as expected) but instead of the traditional onions and peppers, they were served with onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms... kind of a change of pace but still quite tasty. And there was plenty of shrimp too.

Date of Visit: 07 Feb 2008

We are staying out of the house tonight as much as we can in lieu of the first coat of paint put on the millwork today. We decided to hop on over to La Casita, our friendly neighborhood Mexican restaurant. We eat at La Casita now and again. It is fast, close, and reasonably inexpensive. It helps that the kids are big fans of rice and beans. Kristy ordered some fajitas and we got the kids all plates from the kids menu. I didn't order anything. The portions are so large at La Casita (even the kids plates) that there is always plenty of food leftover for me to clean up. Maybe after the kids have grown a foot or two that will change.

Summary: Fast reliable service. Decent food for the price. Our local neighborhood haunt when we get cravings for Mexican food.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: First Coat on Millwork
The first coat of paint went on the millwork today. Because there is so much to paint (from the bottom floor to the top), the fumes get pretty powerful. The kids stayed away all day today and I stayed in my tightly sealed. The problem is that both cold air returns for the furnace are in the "paint zone", e.g. on the other side of the plastic tenting. It is late in the evening now and the paint is dry now, but the fumes are still pretty strong.

Olivia 18-month Checkup and Measurements
I took Olivia in to the doctor's office today for her routine 18-month checkup. She was weighed and measured and given two booster immunization shots. She was pretty mad about the latter development. After the first shot she started saying "No! No! No! No!" as the nurse was swabbing her leg for the second shot. Oh, and did she scream after the second shot! I'm not sure if she was more upset by the pain of the poke or because she was mad that the nurse didn't listen to her.

Olivia weighed in at 21 lbs (5-10 percentile) and is 32¼" long (50-75 percentile). Eliana was most similar in size at 12 months old, when she measured 23 lbs, 32" long. Eliana gets her height/size from me I guess, whereas Olivia will be closer in size to Kristy? We'll see.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Day of Sanding (#2)
All that bondo that was applied yesterday got hit with a sanding block today. It took them all day to sand down what they bondo'd yesterday. Did I mentioned that I was impressed with the care they are taking with the millwork prep? Wow.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Bondo
The painting crew is being very meticulous about the millwork prep. Today they spent the entire day using bondo to fill in and fix any imperfection in the millwork. One of the two had some red bondo and the other had some dark gray bondo. After a day of application, the millwork looks very much like a Dalmatian dog. They hit everything, even the grain on the ash wood around the kids playhouse door... filling in the grain so that the paint will be smooth. Very nice.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Day of Sanding
The painting crew (of two today) spent the entire day sanding down the millwork that was primed last Friday. They tell me paint on Thursday.

Making Cookies with Aunt Karen
Karen is spending a week up here in the area. We get her for a couple of nights. The kids love playing with Aunt Karen. I guess she is a fun aunt. We made some cookies tonight to kill some time. Here are some pictures:

(Update Wed Feb 13 20:46:19 PST 2008 // Cookie -> Cookies)
(Update Sun Feb 17 00:12:52 PST 2008 // Eliana says she misses Aunt Karen)

Summer Time in February
Aunt Karen is in town from San Diego. She is staying with us through the weekend. We are pretending today that she brought warmer weather with her and grilled up some ribs and had a nice spread with summer time food (jello, fruit salad, etc). The ribs looked so good on the grill, I had to snap a picture.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Upper Roof Complete
For the first time, the roofing crew showed up on a Saturday. And for the first time the roofing crew consisted of more than one person. For much of the day the three-person crew worked diligently on completing the roof over the attic. <sarcasm>It only took a month to complete (less a few days when snow was on the roof).</sarcasm> Remaining to do: The low pitch roof over our front porch and the roof over the third bay of the garage (which houses Berkeley's bedroom).

Restaurant Review: Julia's

I took the kids (Berkeley and Eliana) out for breakfast this morning. I had promised Berkeley that we could go out to breakfast after he got his teeth drilled but I neglected to account for the fact that he would not be allowed to eat for a couple of hours after his fillings were placed. So today I made up for my lapse... Berkeley wanted to go to McDonalds (*barf*) but I convinced him to go to Julia's instead for the Eggs Benedict (one of Berkeley's favorites).

I ordered up the Eggs Benedict, Berkeley ordered the cinnamon rolls (another one of his favorites), and Eliana got the kid's pancake platter. When all of our food came, we split it up so that everyone could have a bit of everything. It worked out well. Neither Berkeley nor Eliana cared for the cinnamon roll; it had some orange flavoring that I guess they weren't expecting. But it was good I thought. Eliana's pancake (shaped like Mickey Mouse) was huge and could have probably easily fed all three of us. The Eggs Benedict was adequate, but Berkeley summed it up well:

"Your Eggs Benedict is better Dad."

Indeed.

Summary: A capable choice. Good for lazy Saturday morning when I don't care to cook.

Movie Review: Enchanted

Summary: Fun for the whole family, highly recommended.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Millwork Primed
All of the millwork in the attic and down the stairwell was primed today. The fumes are pretty bad but we are still going to sleep here tonight. Kristy is out with her sisters; and I took the kids to the movies.