Baby Rock Star

Today Kian had his photo shoot with Novara Bikes (REI) and despite some early cracking signs, he pulled it off and wow-ed us all. It was pretty fun too. Afterwards Kian said he wanted to do another photo-shoot.

These weren't pics from the official section of the shoot: this was
during Kian's bonus round because he wouldn't give up the bike.

My teammate Chris is one of the main dudes with Novara and a few weeks ago he asked if Kian would be available for a photo shoot. Heck yeah, why not? The timing worked out and this morning we met the crew down at Gas Works Park for the shoot. I started talking about the shoot with Kiki yesterday and he kept telling me he was ready for the shoot. It was more than an hour after we arrived that they began focusing on Kian and during this time he started getting bored with the brand new, not yet to be released Novara Zipper balance bike, and he started getting his mid-morning fussy on. Uh oh. When things were finally set-up and Kian was called over there was quite a little group gathered and Kian, being a little intimidated by the attention, threw down his bike and stormed off. Literally, he ran off the set and I had to give chase. He then made his demands for more pay, his own dressing room next time, and red sliced apples instead of green sliced apples for his snack tray. The camera man saved the day by snapping some quick shots of daddy trying to ride the pint-sized scoot and by getting Kian to laugh about the instant digital pics on the camera. This simmered him down and the next 60-90 minutes of shooting went great. Kian was fully ON!

He did nearly everything the camera man, Damon, asked of him: come back around for another pass; and another; this time standup, sitdown, raise your legs, look this way, that way, smile more, smile less. The biggest disruption in the shoot was that Kian kept wanting to practice his crash, and almost every other time he made a pass he turned into the grass and tipped over into the crash. This got big laughs from everyone every time. Look out, a ham is born!

Das Boat

Happy Hour on the Tube: All-U-Can-Eat Cheese Nips.

Aunt Barbara, Don and MA enjoying
happy hour from the bow.

With the kids tethered 40-feet off the stern its easy to relax.

RJ was driven from the raft by Cheese Nip mongering seagulls.

What a great evening on the Sammamish! Uncle Bobo took us out in the speed boat and we had a full load: 6 adults, 5 kids, although most of the time the kids were a ski ropes length from the boat which made for an easy going happy hour. Towards the end of the evening the raft took on a sudden draft of water and all occupants were ejected overboard: all were successfully rescued from the water but none from the chilly evening air.... shivering lips were a smackin, just check out that video of Kiki.

Ca ca ca cold!

Raft flipped and all occupants went overboard.

Some Summer Dayz

Here are a scant few pics and vidz from back when the house was full with Arizonians. And some other random summer pics. Summer... well, hardly feels like we've had much of a summer, weather-wise, but when all the grandparents are around and when Naomi comes to town, time finally slows a bit and the non-stop adventure never ends.

Boohoo Bon Voyage!

Boohoo Naomi, see you back next year!

It's a sad morning here at the house. Kian and I are moping around wondering how it got so quiet, but our guests have gone and we've got that sinking, lonely feeling that you get when your company departs.

Annie has taken Carol, Al and Naomi to the airport this morning and then she's off all day to work, volunteer, do her thing, and I'm here alone with Kian until I instruct my cycling bootcamp class this evening. No easing back into it: right back into the rat race without the convenience of having Carol at home to watch Kian for a few moments, or just to help take up the slack. Right now, for example, Kian is killing me for constant attention (daddy daddy lookit lookit lookit) and if Oma, Opa and/or cousin Naomi were here I wouldn't be the sole directive.

Oma was with us for... well, I can't find her arrival date on the calendar, and I'm not even sure what month she arrived in, June or July, but it felt like forever but only because its just so natural and easy when she's around that its like she's been here all along -- it just comes so easily. It wasn't nearly long enough though, and we're jealous of Naomi who gets to live with Oma and Opa for a big portion of her time down in Flagstaff. And now that she's gone there is a huge hole around here and there is absolutely no cushion, not even a little space between Kian and being on-call right NOW. I could go on and on about how the American child-rearing ways are dysfunctional compared with old-school and 3rd world big family style, but I think I do that every year after Oma leaves, so I'll spare you that this year.

But, MY parents and Aunt Barbara are still in town and so we're not completely left grandparentless. There will be more trips out to the Chiwawa this summer to hang out and maybe we'll entice them into the city for a few days now that our spare bedroom has opened up (hint hint).

I've got lots of pics to post with all this family over the past days, weeks, months.

The Big Day: Kian's Three!

What better at a summer birthday party than

train cake and the blue angels? Boom!

You just wouldn't believe the fly-over that Kian got at that perfect moment on his big day!

Precisely as we sang the final note of the final verse of the Happy Birthday To You song, one of the solo Blue Angels buzzed us directly overhead and almost cast out the 3 candles before Kian got the chance. Wow! Daddy couldn't have planned it better if he'd planned it himself (believe me, I tried to take credit).

It was jet noise, not our singing that had Kian and Oscar capping their ears.

Happy Birthdays, you twos!

Cake? The yummy sign confirms its good.

Baby Henny at the water feature
while a nervous, or possibly laughing, Summer looks on.

After all of our park festivities were finished (pin the tail on the donkey) and the Blue Angels had concluded with our personal show, most of us wandered back to our place down the street to keep the party going. Beer and wine could now freely be displayed (no more plastic keg cups), the pig was dug-up and the BBQ'ing commenced, and then came the dancing and the constant limbo train. Annie put together a most prodigious spread of food and everyone ate until they burst at the seams. What a great day: happy birthday, Kian and Annie! Thanks for surviving another year so we could throw a party. Thanks for coming, everyone, and gracing us with your presence and your presents!

Grammy and my Aunt Barbara, who gets the furthest traveled award!

The visiting contingent of our Flagstaff family.

Awesome Oscar!

Happy Henny!

Marlin & Christine made an appearance
(Annie pictured in place of Marlin)

Aunt Jojee and Cousin RJ!

My cousin Lori and the twins, Sarah and Sophie.

Turnin' 3

Tomorrow is Kian's birthday, and what more would any 2-3 year old ask for on his birthday than to get to see the Blue Angels. Back to back to back to back (Thurs-Sun). On Thursday, yesterday, we all went down to the I-90 bridge to watch the practice session and a Seattle Times photographer got a shot of Kian and it made the online gallery, check it out here. Good thing too because I brought Annie's camera along not knowing that the batteries were dead. Lucky me that Mr. Siegel was there to catch Kian in action. Actually, I tried to get him to get a better shot of Kian with some blue sky in the background but he seemed satisfied of his previous shot. I'd a done better with my D-200 but I couldn't have garnered the audience that he did.

Tomorrow we're planning a little party at our park... OUR park: Pratt Park is pretty cool cause it has a huge covered space with basketball court and some sweet kiddy water features. Here are some pics of Kiki getting after it one sunny day last week.

Shoot or be shot at!

Unposted Pics

Here's some Kiki pics that were hidden away which I forgot to post -- yeah, lots more too. On the eve of Kian's 3rd birthday I'm getting a little sentimental about the little boy days since he's becomes a "big boy".

All growd up.

The Little Big Boy.

Playdoh Snake: Daddy's Got Skilz

Scary at first...

...then fast friends.

Let's Backtrack...

I took a whole series of B&W pics that I thought I'd already posted, but apparently not. Here's a few along with some color pics and some from random other times.

Incoming!

Railin it!

Kian and Daddy's color coordinated bikes.

Father and son day at the Flight Museum: this is where Kian got his
first taste of the Blue Angels with an innocent enough looking exhibit. O boy.

Then onto Chinatown for Quesadilla at a sports pub.

Parting the trees parting shot.