(Thu Dec 1 05:36:34 PST 2005 // added picture of christmas tree)

 
Fri, 25 Nov 2005

Christmas Tree
Regardless of the rain today, we travelled down south to Trinity Tree Farm in order to cut ourselves a "fresh" Christmas tree. We decided to try and find a reasonably tall tree since we will be converting our vaulted living room into a bedroom and an office next year... we figure that we should take advantage of the last year we will have the vault by filling it up. We settled on a 12-foot high noble fir at the top of a small hill at the farm. I cut it down while Berkeley helped (he held back a branch to expose the trunk). We got it back home and have it up, but we won't trim it until tomorrow. It smells great!

I think next year we'll try and get a Christmas Tree Permit from the Forest Service and venture up into the National Forest. Now that should be an adventure!

 
Thu, 24 Nov 2005

Thanksgiving
We had a great Thanksgiving with the Thurmonds, Sorensons, and Corays. Everyone came over here for an early afternoon dinner. We had the standard fare - turkey, stuffing, potatoes, yams, etc. New on the dinner menu this year was a homemade toasted pecan and dried cherry stuffing that I think is exceptional (recipe found in Martha Stewart's cookbook). I made the stuffing during my dry-run earlier this month and it received mostly good reviews, however there was some dissenting opinions. So, I still made the Stove Top for the picky eaters (i.e. the kids and Matt). For dessert, I made a pumpkin pie that was pretty much left untouched. That is because Kristy made some personal-sized molten chocolate cakes (in individual ramekins) that were a big hit. She says that she is still tweaking the recipe a bit. When she has the recipe finalized, I will post it.

We spent the evening playing games, including the recent hits Puerto Rico and Carcassonne. The kids stayed busy upstairs having fun with their cousins. We preserved a few of the moments in picture (see here).

My sentiments on Thanksgiving are roughly equivalent to that which I penned in our 2004 Christmas card. I'm still asking myself how did I get here. And I'm still just letting the days go by. It's been a quite a ride.

(Update Thu Dec 1 06:35:39 PST 2005 // added link to picture gallery)
(Update Fri Mar 10 10:10:42 PST 2006 // changed link to picture gallery)

 
Wed, 23 Nov 2005

Sneeze Attack!
Tonight it was my turn to put Berkeley to bed. While we were laying in bed talking about the day, he sneezed. Then he sneezed again. And again. And again. Then he started to laugh. Then, through his laughter, he sneezed again for the fifth time - this was so funny that I started laughing, it was infectious. We were both laughing now and he sneezed again, a sixth time. This set us both off anew. It was a funny moment. Cute kid.

Knee Sliding
Berkeley has discovered a new and entertaining diversion. He will start at one end of the kitchen and run toward the family room. When he reaches speed (at about the kitchen table), he'll drop down to his knees and slide a good 4 or 5 feet. He was doing this in the entry way too. As this was the first time either Kristy or I had observed this behavior, I was curious about it.

"Berkeley, what are you doing there?", I inquired.

"I'm superhero Berkeley.", he explained.

"Ok.", I laughed.

I didn't get a more thorough explanation than that, even after repeated inquiries.

 
Tue, 22 Nov 2005

Shopping and Dinner at Belle Square
We spent another night out as a family. We drove over to Belle Square with the intent of expanding our All-Clad LTD collection. More specifically, we need another mid-sized saucepan for Thanksgiving Day preparations. Or at least, that is the excuse we're using.

Before shopping, we stopped by Red Robin for some burgers. Good food. We then found and purchased our pan (a 3-qt sauce pan) and let the kids run around on the play boat. After some Mrs. Field's cookies, we returned home. Nice night out.

 
Mon, 21 Nov 2005

Pine Lake Club Trial Membership: Follow Up
We spent the evening at the Pine Lake Club to take advantage of our trial membership. We dropped by the Kids Club to deposit the kids only to find out that a reservation is required (no mention of this was made to us during our tour). Fortunately they had some room, but otherwise we would have been out of luck. Also, the Kids Club was free on Saturday for us as "trial members", but today we were informed we would be required to pay. This caught us off guard as we had not brought any form of payment with us.

So while Kristy went upstairs to work out, I headed back home. Not a great start. Once I did return to the Club, I joined Kristy upstairs. Neither one of us were particularly impressed with the gym area. I can't recall now the brand of the weight machines When we were given the tour, particular attention was given to the fancy-pants weight machines by TechnoGym, but each machine that I tried was quite awkward to use. Kristy used many of the same machines I did and many machines that I did not use. Her impression was the same - awkward to use.

We collected the kids after an hour in the gym, changed into swim suits, and made our way to the pool area. We were able to use the small (warmer) pool today. The kids had a great time (of course), and I was able to swim about 1000 yards in the lap pool. The pool is nice. After our swim, Berkeley took another long shower in his own private shower stall... he added some singing to his shower today. It was pretty funny.

It's too bad about the gym machines - I think that might be the deal breaker.

(Update Tue Nov 29 10:00:18 PST 2005 // added link to Technogym)

 
Sat, 19 Nov 2005

Pine Lake Club Trial Membership
This morning we took the kids over to Columbia Athletic's Pine Lake Club. We dropped the kids off at the in-house Day Care Center and took the obligatory tour required to get a week-long trial membership (which, because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the serviceperson graciously extended to 10 days).

After the tour was over, we picked up the kids with the plan to go for a swim. The kids loved the Day Care Center. We had to pry them away from the deluxe assortment of toys and diversions there. The smaller (warmer 90°) pool for kids was booked for lessons, so we had to swim in the larger (cooler 80°) lap pool. The kids still had a good time, but Kristy was not fond of the "cold" water. After our swim, we dipped our feet in the hot tub and then made our way back to the locker rooms. Berkeley took a long shower and enjoyed it as much as he did his last one (I guess he's hooked on showers now).

As I noted earlier this month, the Pine Lake Club is definitely a step up from the Issaquah Pool and the YMCA. There really is no comparison. It merely becomes a question as to whether we are willing to pay the increased cost. The increase is not unsubstantial, but it won't break the bank either - $350 initiation fee, and a $169 monthly due for the family membership. By contrast, our current membership at Klahanie Fitness (no pool) is $30/month... add to that a $50/month pass to either the YMCA or Issaquah Pool and the total increase in cost for Pine Lake Club membership is $60/month. Hmmmm.

 
Fri, 18 Nov 2005

YMCA Swimming - Take 2
We ventured over to the YMCA again tonight to swim. We had promised the kids that we would go swimming, but had planned to go to the Pine Lake Club to check it out. Unfortunately we couldn't get a time to meet with a "membership specialist" until tomorrow. Oh well.

We met the Thurmonds there (minus Mutt) and had a good time. Nothing new to report about the facilities.

 
Thu, 17 Nov 2005

Berkeley Shower
Berkeley had a rare accident today which required that he get bathed. Rather than draw him a bath and have him sit in what would quickly become soiled water. I stood him up in the tub and told him he had to take a shower. Well, the reaction was immediate sheer terror (and I hadn't yet turned the water on). I tried to console and comfort him for a couple of minutes while he sobbed almost uncontrollably, but finally I gave up and just turned the shower on. I figured I'd just get him clean and get him out as fast as possible... he could then recover emotionally after being wrapped up in a dry towel.

Well, I got him all clean, turned off the water, got a towel ready, and asked him to get out.

"Two more minutes, Daddy.", pleaded Berkeley.

"Ok, sure... knock youself out.", I replied, almost stunned.

15 minutes later he was still asking for "two more minutes" in the shower, and I finally had to (literally) drag him out.

 
Wed, 16 Nov 2005

Early Morning Eliana
As I mentioned previously, Daylight Saving Time has been a big-time bust. One or the other of us must now get up with Eliana at 6am (or earlier on some mornings). Her bedtime hour is the same (8:30 pm), so we would have thought she would have adjusted by now. She hasn't. Can't wait until Daylight Saving Time ends... only 5+ more months.

Appliance Parts Depot: Follow Up
I got my ASKO dryer parts from Appliance Parts Depot today. The new part fits perfectly... I had been using the dryer without that stupid little gasket seal for many months (because of the previously documented problems I had when trying to find the replacement part), so it was a great feeling to finally have it fixed. My dishwasher parts arrived a few days ago. Double thumbs up!

(Update Thu Dec 1 23:21:15 PST 2005 // fixed a grammatical error)

 
Tue, 15 Nov 2005

Dinner at JaK's
Kristy and I had dinner tonight at JaK's with Scott (Newton) and his wife, Sheryl. The occasion was our yearly review of Scott's performance as a money manager. We have been quite underwhelmed with the retuns we are getting out of our primary money manager over at Morgan Stanley. So, about a year ago, I hired Scott as a secondary manager and have been tracking the two against each other. Scott is an independent consultant, but works closely with the principals over at Decker Mazza & Black (i.e. his historical performance closely mimics the numbers posted at Decker). Long story short, Scott is not only performing well when compared to the market indices, but he is vastly outperforming our Morgan Stanley managed funds - his net return of fees is besting Morgan Stanley's by over 100%! That's just one year's performance (i.e. the typical refrain "past performance is not indicative of future results" still applies), so we'll continue to keep a close eye on the developments.

Needless to say, the food (and the company) was exceptional.

 
Mon, 14 Nov 2005

Galloping Eliana
Lately Eliana hasn't really been doing much walking around the house. Instead (for whatever reason) she gallops... kind of half-hopping/half-running. It's cute.

 
Sun, 13 Nov 2005

Snoqualmie Pass Snowman
Kristy had some kind of big planning meeting at our house this morning. So I took the kids to Snoqualmie Pass (about a 30-minute drive from Sammamish) to see the snow. It had snowing up there for the past few days, so there was about 8-12" on the ground. Once we made it to the pass, I just wandered around the roads looking for a field, ideally at an elementary school or something (there is a small town at the top of the pass).

We didn't find a field, but found a new development with unplowed roads. We parked in a cul-de-sac and made a pretty good sized snowman... about 5 feet tall. We didn't have any coal, or buttons, or carrots for decorations, so I improvised with some little colorful fuzzy balls I found on some crafts the kids had made at preschool and had left in the car. We were able to find some adequate sticks for arms. Once the snowman was complete, it looked pretty good and the kids had fun waving and talking to it. I wish I had brought the camera to snap a pic with the kids next to the snowman.

We spent only about 15 or 20 minutes outside before the kids were too cold and complaining. So we hopped back into the car, waved goodbye to the snowman, and came back home.

 
Sat, 12 Nov 2005

New Mall Waterfall
After Ebey's Birthday Party and an afternoon nap, we loaded up the kids in the ML and ventured over to Belle Square to walk around and get some ideas for Christmas presents for the kids. While we were there we explored the new Lincoln Square which is connected to Belle Square via a glass and steel skybridge. Lincoln Square (and the skybridge) had just opened on November 1st.

Immediately inside Lincoln Square is a tall "waterfall" that must drop water some 100 feet at least. The water doesn't actually cascade freely through the air but on a carefully hung plastic sculpture that is composed of 2 or 3 flat vertical planes. The effect is that of a perpetually running waterfall that is simply hypnotic to view. The kids loved it.

Ebey Birthday Party
Elizabeth turned 3 on the 8th, so the Thurmonds held her birthday party today and invited the family over. Kathryn had a lot of activities for the kids to do which were all part of a Dora the Explorer themed treasure hunt.

Matt had a lordly spread laid out... an entire counter of nothing but fantastic food. He made his signature empanadas filled with cotija cheese. He also prepared an excellent soft-shelled taco bar which included some delicious homemade salsa and Cholula hot sauce (note to self: find out where to buy that Cholula hot sauce). Just a great job by the Thurmonds with the party today.

(Mon Dec 5 23:21:35 PST 2005 // correct spelling of Cholula)

 
Fri, 11 Nov 2005

"Blankelet"
I'm not sure when Berkeley started pronouncing blanket as "blankelet" or, for that matter, I'm not sure if he ever pronounced it correctly in the first place. But try as we might, we can't seem to shake him of it. Aside from a few minor mispronunciations such as that, Berkeley is becoming a really good little conversationalist.

 
Thu, 10 Nov 2005

15-Minute Bowling
We decided to go out bowling tonight. So we loaded up the kids in the car and set out for the six-lane bowling alley in Snoqualmie, Adventure Bowling Center. The little bowling alley is one of our favorite destinations for family fun, as I noted here.

We arrived at 6:45 pm, and checked in at the desk for a lane assignment. However, much to our dismay we learned that the entire bowling alley was reserved for league play beginning at 7:00 pm. We had been building the activity up all day for the kids (bowling is one of Berkeley's favorite pastimes). The clerk must have sensed our disappointment (and panic) because he offered to let us play for 15 minutes. We took him up on the offer and got some shoes for the kids.

15-minutes of bowling is just about right I think. After about that amount of time Eliana was beginning to show signs of boredom. Berkeley didn't seem to notice (or mind) that we hadn't been bowling that long. We took the shoes back to the desk and I asked for the bill, the clerk waived the cost and refused by repeated attempts to pay. Very nice. There is no way the larger bowling alleys would be so accommodating.

 
Wed, 09 Nov 2005

Nose, Eyes, Mouth... Daddy
Kristy and I alternate putting the kids down every night, i.e. I'll put down Berkeley while Kristy puts down Eliana and the next night we will switch. Tonight it was my turn to put down Eliana. While I was leaning over her bed rails and given her a few kisses on her forehead, she started playing with my face:

"Noh", Eliana said squeezing my nose between her thumb and fingers.

"Eye", she continued while touching both my eyelids with her forefinger.

"Mou", pinching my lips.

*pause*

"Da-da!", she blurted out pointing to my chest, smiling big as can be.

Annual Stonefield HOA Meeting
I'm our local homeowner's association president. Have been for the past 4 years or so... by default, since no one else wants to do it. Tonight we had our annual HOA meeting. After trimming down some expenses this past year, we have a pretty good surplus. Of course, being the good libertarian that I am, I proposed an "expansive cut" to our yearly HOA dues (from $325/yr to $250/yr). However, much to my dismay, I soon learned that everyone else (and I mean everyone else) was not interested in a HOA due cut, but instead wanted to spend the surplus on various items (from landscaping improvements to matching locking mailboxes). Pfffft.

IBA... It's Fan-tastic!
The first IBA games for the 2005-2006 season are today. Should be another fun year. I'm the defending champion, so I better bring my A-game this year. Too bad I can never draft well.

 
Sun, 06 Nov 2005

Minor Root Beer Taste Test
After our turkey feast tonight, Matt arranged a Root Beer Taste Test with two of the various brands I have been collecting in the fridge: Sprecher vs. Bulldog. Personally, I prefer a bitter herbal root beer to one that is smooth and creamy. Sprecher is about as creamy and smooth as they come and was very popular with the small audience. In fact, I think I was the only one who preferred the (ever so) slight herbal taste of the Bulldog over the smooth Sprecher. Now don't get me wrong, there were no losers here... I hold Sprecher in high enough regard to always keep one cold in the fridge, but Bulldog just barely edges Sprecher out.

Thanksgiving Day Dry-Run
On another whim, I decided this morning to make a full turkey dinner (turkey breast, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, pumpkin pie, the works) and invite everyone over. I called up the Sorensons, the Thurmonds, and the Corays to see who was up for a feast. The Thurmonds and the Sorensons made the short drive, but the Coray's afternoon church schedule makes it difficult to do the hour drive. We missed them, but still had a great meal and a good time.

 
Sat, 05 Nov 2005

Kate's Birthday Party
Our very good friends and neighbors have two daughters, Isabella and Kate. Isabella is one year younger than Berkeley and Kate turned 1 year-old today. Jerrod and Tracy invited us over for Kate's Birthday Party and for dinner. The kids had fun at the party. The Schei's have lots of toys that our kids love playing with. In fact, our kids are deprived by comparison (oh well).

As per usual, the food was first rate. Among all of the dishes served, Jerrod prepared a mexican lasagna that was my favorite. I just scanned the internet for mexican lasagna recipes and there are several dozen (at least). But I'll see if I can't get Jerrod's recipe, which he apparently got from his Grandma.

 
Fri, 04 Nov 2005

Pizza Party and Carcassonne
We had an impromptu Sorenson gathering for pizza and games tonight. I called the Sorensons and Thurmonds up on a whim to see if they were available for some pizza. Neither had plans and so we grabbed some pizzas from Costco and played some games. It made for a fun evening.

Scott, after having just barely got us to play Puerto Rico on his birthday, brought over a new game to play called Carcassonne. We were able to play a couple of times as the game doesn't take to long to complete. It's a fun game. Inspiration Games (the local Issaquah-based company that produced Settlers of Zarahemla) has produced a Carcassonne-based game called the Ark of the Covenant. I better put that on my Christmas list.

 
Thu, 03 Nov 2005

Buying Stuff
Tonight I took the kids out on some errands. As I was loading up the kids in the car, Berkeley and I had the following conversation:

"Daddy, where are you taking me?", Berkeley asked.

"We need to go to the store and buy stome stuff.", I replied hastily while lifting him into his seat.

"Buy some stuff?", repeated Berkeley.

"Yes... now buckle up.", I quickly retorted.

One of the stores on the list was Office Depot. I needed to buy some storage boxes for some of Kristy's old college materials. After I walked into the store, I looked back and noticed that Eliana was still outside (I think a shiny object distracted her or something). Not to worry however, because Berkeley was right on top of the situation:

"Come on Eliana, we need to go in the store and buy some stuff.", Berkeley said, taking Eliana's hand and leading her into the store.

"We need to buy some stuff, Eliana." Berkeley repeated after only a few steps.

I laughed to myself and shook my head.

Pine Lake Club Lap Swimming
Last night while I was out with Scott (Newton), he invited me to be his guest today at Columbia Athetic's Pine Lake Club for a swim. As we have been reviewing local swimming pools of late (see here and here), I graciously accepted.

The Pine Lake Club is definitely a step up from the Issaquah Pool and the YMCA. The locker room has lockers that actually work. Solid-stone countertops in the vanity area are stocked with complimentary razors, shaving cream, after-shave, hair products, and much more. The locker room also has private showers and a sauna.

The pool is quite nice as well. It is a 25-yard long salt water pool kept at a comfortable 82°. I swam a mile (1750 yards) in 26 minutes, keeping time at right around 45 seconds per 50 yards. Not as invigorating as swimming in the open water, but it was a good swim nonetheless. After the swim I took full advantages of the facilities and had a steam, a shower, and a shave.

I'll have to bring the family back sometime and see what Kristy and the kids think.

 
Wed, 02 Nov 2005

Sonics Home Opener
At the invitation of one of my financial consultants (Scott Newton), I was able to attend the Sonics home opener tonight, a loss to the LA Clippers. (Sam Cassell, a trade for whom I passed on in the IBA draft, scored 35... doh!)

Before the game we ate at a nearby Thai restaurant, the Golden Singha. I had some kind of spicy coconut milk soup (been feeling a bit under the weather lately) which was absolutely fabulous. I'm not a big fan of Thai food, but more dishes like that soup and perhaps I'll change my mind. Just wish I could remember the name of the soup now.

 
Mon, 31 Oct 2005

Trick or Treating in the Rain
We went out trick or treating tonight in some light rain in full costume (all four of us). We just went up and down the street. For the small amount of homes we doorbelled (15 in all), the kids came back with quite a haul. They sat at the kitchen table and emptied their bags onto the table and sampled whatever caught their eyes. A few Three Musketeers and a Milky Way caught my attention... they were both happy to share. My kids are nice.

I think we may have had 20 trick or treaters... so every child that made the effort to ring our doorbell made out with a very healthy handful. When I began to realize how much candy we were going to have as leftovers, I started pouring candy out of the bowl into the bags. So the last few kids were handsomely treated.

 
Sun, 30 Oct 2005

Daylight Saving Time
Get an extra hour of sleep when you fall back an hour for DST? Yeah right. I'm afraid that is a concept quite unheard of in this household. Instead I'm up at the same time my daughter gets up, which was 7am - but now is 6am. Perfect.

 
Sat, 29 Oct 2005

Church Halloween Party
We dressed up in our costumes and attended the Halloween party held at church this evening. This year Kristy and the kids are dressing up as farm animals and I am dressing up as a farmer. Kristy is a pig, Berkeley is a cow, and Eliana is a rooster. The party was a bit of a dud, but the kids liked walking around in circles for the cake walk... at least until the cake inventory was depleted.

 
Fri, 28 Oct 2005

Open Water Swimming: Closed for the Winter
This afternoon the water in Pine Lake measured at 57°. It's just getting too cold to swim without head protection. But rather than buy a neoprene hoody (or something), I'm going to shut the open water swimming down for the winter. It was a great season and I look forward to the spring.

 
Thu, 27 Oct 2005

Flirting With 170
I stepped on the scale this morning and read the display... 170. Not too bad considering that at the end of 2003 (almost 2 years ago) I was tipping the scale at 230. That is a loss of 60 lbs in 22 months, or just under 3 lbs per month. No dieting (I am a strong opponent of dieting), just a solid regimen of daily exercise... jogging, biking, swimming, and weights. I know I won't sell many books with my weight loss program ("Lose 60 lbs in 2 years, no dieting!"), but if you have the patience and discipline - it works.

The obligatory before and after pics... here I am circa December 2003 and here I am circa last week.

 
Tue, 25 Oct 2005

New Cousin: Nathan Scott Sorenson
Berkeley and Eliana have a new cousin, Nathan Scott Sorenson. Scott informed us that Nathan was born at 8:30am this morning and measured 8lb 1oz in weight and 20" in length. This evening we went to Overlake Hospital to visit the little nipper. I snapped a couple of pics of Berkeley and Eliana holding thier newest cousin:

 
Sun, 23 Oct 2005

Nursery Duty
I am a nursery worker at church. It is a great place to spend two hours out of the three hours of sunday service (I can definitely think of worse ways to spend the two hours). Today however, there were just two of us herding 19 cats... crazy. It will nice to offload a dozen or so of these youngsters into Sunbeams at year end.

 
Sat, 22 Oct 2005

Family Day
We spent this morning driving around to a few neighborhood locations snapping family portraits - Laura was our photographer (see 2005 autumn family portrait). In the afternoon after naps, we went over to Pine Lake park and let the kids play while I had a swim.

Last night was our date night, so tonight it is our turn to watch the kids. In the evening Laura left Jenna with us and left to meet up with Spencer in Seattle or Bellevue or somewhere; Spencer had spent the day in Seattle attending a conference. The two of them are spending the night at a bed/breakfast somewhere. The Thurmonds also left their kids with us for the evening and attended a dinner party (at the UW I think... can't remember now).

Kristy and I were left to our devices with our two kids and three of our nieces. So we decided to take them all to the local Chuck E. Cheese establishment for a raucus good time. The kids had a fabulous evening. We played a lot of games, rode quite a few rides, and oh yeah, we had some pizza too. I wouldn't go back on a Saturday night though, it was packed... wall to wall people and kids.

 
Fri, 21 Oct 2005

Friday Date Night
The Corays have some business in Seattle this weekend, so Laura and Jenna came up today with the intent of staying the night. Kristy and I took advantage of the opportunity, left the kids with Laura, and went out. We attended a session at the Seattle Temple and then headed downtown to Dahlia Lounge for dessert.

Kristy had the "Decadent devil's food cake" with fresh mint ice cream. I, of course, had Dahlia's triple coconut cream pie. Both desserts were exceptional. The fresh mint ice cream was probably the biggest hit. It had a wonderfully light, delicate flavor that tasted like fresh mint sprigs... very refreshing. I shall have to try and replicate that myself on my own sometime.

 
Wed, 19 Oct 2005

The Fire Alarm
Berkeley, Eliana, and I went to Sherm's for dinner tonight. I sat the kids at a table and placed my order at the counter. I turned around just in time to see that Berkeley had left his chair and was right in the middle of pulling down the the latch on the bright red fire alarm switch. Needless to say, the alarm went off... and it was loud.

Even though we knew there was no fire, we were required to evacuate into the parking lot and wait for the firefighters to arrive (and turn off the alarm). Since Sherm's is located in a small strip mall, the fire alarm went off in every other store in the strip mall... forcing all of those patrons to exit into the parking lot as well. After about 10 minutes a fire engine, with its lights brightly illuminated, rolled into the parking lot.

"Look Daddy... a fire engine!", Berkeley exclaimed.

"Um, yeah.", I replied.

I explained to the lead firefighter what happened and had Berkeley apologize to him and his partner. Despite the false alarm, they were both very polite.

 
Mon, 17 Oct 2005

Bikes, not Trikes
Sometime last month while jogging with the kids in the carrier, I ran over a blackberry thorn that was just big enough to put a slow leak in one of the tires. I had been just nursing the tire along by pumping it up before a jog. But recently I ran over another thorn and put a second hold in the same tire. Drat.

So tonight I took the kids and the punctured tube over to the local bike shop to buy a new puncture-resistant tube. Well, let me tell you, the kids must have thought they were in a candy store or something, because they immediately went into a heightened state of giddiness and started crawling all over the kids bikes and putting them to use. Berkeley climbed on a bike (with 16"-sized tires and training wheels) and began pedalling with amazing agility (much to my surprise) thoughout the aisles of the store... navigating through some pretty tight spots. Eliana had a pretty good time with her bike (with 10" tires), but she could really only push with her feet.

Berkeley did take a few spills going around turns too fast (that radial acceleration took him by surprise), but he bounced right back up without complaint and pedalled off again. We just recently got him a tricycle for his 3rd birthday, but he had so much fun - and he seemed so adept at riding the bicycle in the store tonight - that I think we'll have to get him a bike for Christmas.

 
Sun, 16 Oct 2005

Uncle Bryan
Scott lingered at our place a little later than his daughter could bear tonight, this was because we took a couple hours to play a board game for his birthday that he has long wanted us to try. So after we finished the game, I loaded up the kids into the car with Uncle Scott and set out to drop him off at his home. After we were all in the car and belted in, I struck up a conversation with Berkeley:

"It's Uncle Scott's birthday soon, so he came over today and we had some cake. Now we are going to take Uncle Scott home.", I explained.

"Yeah.", consented Berkeley.

"Uncle Scott loves Berkeley. Do you love Uncle Scott?", I asked.

"Yeah.", came the rote reply.

"Who is your favorite uncle?", I asked... a leading question, or so I thought.

"Uncle Bryan.", responded Berkeley flatly.

Ok then. ;)

Uncle Scott's Brithday Party
Scott turns 31 this week sometime (I forget which day), so we had everyone (with the exception of Spencer who stayed at home sick) over for a party to celebrate Scott's birthday. We had plenty of good food for dinner and then had some cake and ice cream. Scott made the cake himself, but it was still tasty. I took a few snapshots to preserve the moment in picture, you can review them here.

For his birthday present, Matt and I finally relented to his persistent pleas and played Puerto Rico with him. It took us well over two hours to finish the game, but it is actually a very interesting game to play. Compared to one of our favorite board games, Ticket to Ride, Puerto Rico might seem impossibly complex. To be sure, Puerto Rico is quite different from anything I have ever played before. In fact, I'm not sure I could even describe it to someone without the gameboard and all the ancillary playing pieces setup in front of me. But, I would play it again... that may be because I won (btw... Matt's philosophy is that no game worth playing should be winnable the first time you play; so, since Matt didn't win, perhaps he'll play again too). Scott assured us that the next time we play it will only take an hour or so to finish.

(Tue Nov 22 09:36:42 PST 2005 // added link to pictures)

 
Fri, 14 Oct 2005

Eliana and Her Scrambled Egg Breakfasts
In one of my previous journal entries, I briefly alluded to Eliana's hearty morning appetite. Just about every morning I prepare Eliana's breakfast, and it almost always includes one scrambled egg. It's either a scrambled egg and bowl of cereal, or a scrambled egg and a cup of yogurt, or a scrambled egg and a slice of bacon, or a scrambled egg and [...]. She's a quick eater too; no prodding is required.

 
Wed, 12 Oct 2005

Chocolate Covered Doughnuts
Berkeley, Eliana, and I went out shopping for some food (milk, eggs, etc) at the local Costco. On our way home we stopped by the Krispy Kreme for some doughnuts. We don't go by KK very often (the kids will typically run around a little too much for my liking), so this was a rare treat.

For whatever reason, the last time we were in KK (some months ago) Berkeley had insisted on one of the chocolate covered doughnuts. At the time, I was thinking that he simply wanted one because it happened to be displayed at his eye level. Usually I will just give the kids the complimentary glazed doughnuts and buy a custard-filled for myself. But today Berkeley again insisted on a chocolate covered glazed. So I obliged.

Now Berkeley must be the slowest 3-year old eater, if not on the West Coast, then at least in the State of Washington. Berkeley slowly eats each and every meal, typically taking on average, one bite per minute. There has heretofore been one exception to this maddening behavior Berkeley exhibits, that being when Berkeley is eating oreos. Oh yes, stick a sleeve of Oreos in front of him, stand back, and watch him go to town. My guess is that Berkeley's oreo consumption rate approaches eight per minute... possibly more. Tonight after I purchased Berkeley his chocolate covered doughnut, I had scarcely situated Eliana and myself at our table with our glazed plain doughnuts when I noted that Berkeley's hands were empty and his mouth was full.

"I need more doughnuts.", Berkeley stated, barely keeping doughnut pieces from falling out of his mouth.

"Everyone gets one doughnut, and one is enough for anybody.", I said, quoting Willy Wonka.

"Okay.", Berkeley responded, almost incoherently.

Eliana had one bite of her glazed and lost interest, so I polished up my own and we returned home.

 
Tue, 11 Oct 2005

IBA... It's Fan-tastic!
I have reset IBA (my pet fantasy basketball software) for the upcoming season. Should be another fun year.

 
Mon, 10 Oct 2005

Goodbye Grandpa/Grandma Sorenson
Dick & Bertha stopped by late this morning and said their goodbyes. We had a very pleasant lunch (leftovers from our Saturday brunch). We won't see them again for at least 18 months, but possibly longer depending on the nature of their stay (which could be as long as 3 years).

Sub-60
Water temperate in the lake was 59° this afternoon for my lunch time swim. I need to get a thermal swim cap or something... the cold water makes my head hurt. Maybe Jeff has a recommendation.

 
Sun, 09 Oct 2005

Emily Blessing
My niece Emily was blessed this evening. Good to see some of the Thurmonds again (Joe & Kathy, Adam, etc). Nice food spread. We played some games afterward with Dick & Bertha.

 
Sat, 08 Oct 2005

Day with Grandma/Grandpa Sorenson
Dick and Bertha are up visiting for Emily's blessing on Sunday. We were fortunate enough to be able to spend much the day with them. They arrived this morning and then came from the airport directly to our house. We hosted a brunch and had a splendid array of food available... Kristy organized the whole thing (but I did help out quite generously).

Kristy made this baked egg casserole thing from a recipe she found in Marther's cookbook that was fantastic. We also served the very much underrated McCann's Irish Oatmeal. We had lots of fresh berries available (served with a dollop or two of devonshire cream), a large quantity of diced cantaloupe, some sliced peaches, a couple dozen mini pumpkin spice muffins, some cream cheese danishes, and plenty of gourmet drinking chocolate (which is basically melted white, milk, and dark chocolates diluted with milk and cream).

After brunch, Kristy, Kathy, and the kids took Bertha out shopping for shoes and clothes while Dick and myself spent the afternoon on a quest to find Dick a new laptop. After visiting a couple of stores, we settled on a Sony VAIO FS620P/W Notebook. It is a splendid little machine; hopefully it will be more than enough of a laptop to meet whatever needs will be required of it while Dick and Bertha are down in Ecuador.

After a short respite, it was time for dinner. We drove Dick & Bertha to Daniel's Broiler in Bellevue to dine together with the Thurmonds and the Sorensons (the Corays are away out of town on vacation, in San Diego no less!). After dinner, Kristy and I parted ways and attended the symphony, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5. Whew... what a day!

 
Fri, 07 Oct 2005

Issaquah Pool
As part of our ongoing project to try out each of the few pools in the area, we visited the Issaquah public pool tonight. Scott, Angela, and Isabella met us there.

By sheer coincidence, we visited the pool on their "Halloween movie night". Throughout the evening the pool house lights were dimmed and several movies were projected onto a large oversized white sheet of canvas that had been hung up on the wall. The movie selection included "It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", "Caspar The Friendly Ghost", and others. Needless to say, the event attracted quite a few families. The pool was packed with kids and their parents.

The Issaquah public pool is divided into two sections, one for lap swimming and one for kids. It's kind of a wierd setup. The pool length is probably about 40 yards or so. A 3-foot wide divider is placed such that it divides the pool into a 25 yard long section and a 15 yard section. I've never seen anything like it... but it works I guess. The pool temperature is quite a bit lower than the YMCA pool, I'm guessing it was about 72°... that is a bit chilly for the kids (and the wife). The kids definitely have to keep moving (doggy paddling) to stay warm.

I thought the water temperature was just fine, perfectly suited for lap swimming. I decided to time myself swimming a 500. I stripped down to my speedo and dove in... no warm-ups. Finished it in just over 7 minutes (about 40-45 seconds 50-yard lap times)... not too shabby, but not too great either.

The kids had a good time in the kids area. There are a couple of water basketball hoops and complimentary water toys and balls are provided. Because there were so many people, the water in the shallow end got pretty choppy at times. Both Berkeley and Eliana swallowed lots of water while they were doggy paddling.

The Issaquah pool management seems to be wound too tight. Berkeley and I decided to leave the crowds and play in the deep end. I asked one of the teenage lifeguards on duty if it was ok and she nodded. We then commenced to play right under her nose. After about 10 minutes of him climbing up on the side of the pool and jumping in, a senior staff member (I can only presume) went out of her way to walk down the length of the pool (in her street clothes) and demand that I take Berkeley back to the shallow end, even in the face of assurances that I am a former WSI-certified lifeguard myself - welcome to the Issaquah pool nanny state. At the YMCA I could go anywhere in the pool (deep end, shallow end) with Berkeley - no questions asked. Lame.

Like the YMCA pool, the Issaquah public pool appears to be quite old and dated. The locker rooms are, shall we say, spartan. They are roomier than the ones at the YMCA, but like the YMCA, they are a far cry from plush. Just suitable enough to change clothes and that's about it... many of the lockers are non-functional, and only a few of the showers (on the men's side anyway) seemed to work.

The Issaquah pool could work for my lap swimming requirements, but I don't think Kristy wants to go back. The water was too cold for her (and for the kids too), she much preferred the 90° water at the YMCA pool.

 
Thu, 06 Oct 2005

Ecuador
Kristy's parents got their mission call. They will be serving in the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple for a period of 18 months. They enter the MTC in Provo on October 17th.

 
Mon, 03 Oct 2005

Family Home Doorbell Ditching
For Family Home Evening tonight we secretly gave some treats to a couple of our neighbors. Berkeley and I took the plate full of pumpkin bread, cookies, and candy to the houses while Kristy and Eliana watched in the darkness from inside the car. Before the activity began, we highly emphasized the need for secrecy and the need for quiet voices and silence. Yet, each time we approached the front patio and door of the target home, Berkeley would giggle under his breath uncontrollably. We would hit the doorbell, run away into the darkness, and then watch from afar behind some trees or bushes.

Then we would sneak back to the car where Eliana and Kristy were surreptitiously observing the entire affair. When we approached, we could hear Eliana laughing even from outside the car. However, Kristy told me that she was as quiet as a mouse while we performed our task; whispering comments to Kristy while watching Berkeley and I. Both of the kids enjoyed the activity thoroughly.

 
Sun, 02 Oct 2005

Happy Birthday Mom
My mom is halfway from 20 to 100 today. Happy Birthday Mom.

 
Sat, 01 Oct 2005

The Corner Bread Box
I attended the Priesthood Session of Conference tonight with Scott. After I dropped him off at his home, I tuned to 94.9 for the weekly Saturday night program, Swing Years and Beyond, music from the late 1920s to the late '50s. I hunkered down into my seat, focused on the road, and slowly meandered the route back home.

While the car smoothly consumed the road beneath me, I let me mind wander... I walked into my Grandma's house and heard the familiar big band swing music radiating softly from the kitchen. As I had done possibly dozens of times before, I visited the kitchen first and checked the corner bread box for cookies. If I was lucky, Grandma would have recently restocked the box with cookies; always Mother's-brand cookies, usually the Iced Oatmeal ones, the Cococnut Cocadas, or others (like The Cookie Parade grab bag).

A plastic analog clock radio, permanently tuned to a local Salt Lake City music station, sat on top of the bread box. The small single speaker perpetually broadcast the sounds of the big swing bands. Grandma was sometimes there, working on getting a ham carved or preparing some other food for the table.

"Grandma, this music is old!", I would say, stuffing a cookie in my mounth.

"This is the music of the golden era, of my youth.", she would respond.

With a few cookies in my hand I would settle down and flip through some magazines, find the comics in the paper, or watch some TV. But the music of the "golden era" was always there in the background at Grandma's house, emanating from that single speaker in her kitchen; sometimes imperceptible, but always there.

And now, though the music plays on, my Grandma is no longer with us, yet my ethereal memories of her are always there. On a quiet drive home while listening to music performed during my Grandma's youth, her "golden years", those memories readily cascade into my consciousness. At times like this, I wish I could check that corner bread box for more cookies, or that I could simply pick up the phone and call her... if only to hear her answer "Nyello." But the music, and the memories, will have to suffice.