Baby Cakes

New Years Eve, Belated

2012-02-07T21:45:00.001-08:00

On New Years Eve in Flagstaff AZ the long-standing tradition is the big Pine Cone Drop. The pine cone is a Volkswagen Beetle-sized electronic light display in the general shape of a pine cone which (spoiler alert!) flickers and opens up when lowered. It doesn't drop to the ground and explode into pieces as I'd hoped, but of course, we went to the 10pm/Times Square drop so if they'd demolished it then there wouldn't have been one left for the real show. Anyway, I'd romantically expected the tradition to have begun as an old bygone from the shoot 'em up wild west days, but I was disappointed to learn it began less than 10-years ago as a downtown hotels gimmicky tourist idea, and the original pinecone was a trashcan dropped from the upper balcony. It definitely packed em in and it was a fun time milling about the streets of Flag on a chilly New Years Eve. Kian barely made it and if it weren't for the fireworks his eyelids might have dropped along with the pine cone.

Opa, Uncle Zeke, Annie and Kian: all bars are kid friendly in Arizona!
They are gun friendly too which balances it out, I guess.

Hanging out at a brewpub prior to hitting the streets for the big drop.

Snow Day Cometh!

2012-01-18T11:19:00.000-08:00

These first pics are from Monday at "The Depot" @ Stevens Pass Nordic Center.

Kian's first ski day of the season.

These two are from our front porch this morning.

As has been predicted and long anticipated, snow has blanketed the city of Seattle and its a snow day for all of us! Woohoo, no school or work, we're going sledding! More pics and stories of megafun coming later.

A Few From The Zoo

2012-01-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

A few weeks/day pre-zoo, we were still in AZ
and enjoying fantastic sunsets like this!

At Greenlake on our way to the zoo.

Penguidos!

The Sun Bear frolicking in a tree.

Showing proper form!

Back in Flag with a dinosaur on his cheek, as was the want.

Random Crazy Lost Pics from '011

2012-01-08T22:37:00.000-08:00

At the zoo one chilly Fall day.

Goofin.

Alan's 40th post-Lake WA skinny dip.

Good times down at the piers.

Not sure about the hair. Halloween thing at school maybe?

One day in late summer A&I ditched the little guy and
had a day out: pastry ride to W Seattle and back.

Reading the script at Dan & Val's wedding.

Dan & Val. Or rather, Val & Dan post-hitch.

Christmas. Eve.

2012-01-03T22:51:00.001-08:00

Daddy, when can I open presents?

And where is that Santa Claus?

On Christmas Eve we were out at the "country house" out in "the 40's" of Flagstaff, the cinder billies as the locals say -- Alan, Birgit and Naomi's place an hour outta dodge. We spent the early hours cooking dinner while celebrating the happy hours. After dinner but before the company arrived we made merriment and fools of ourselves, and once they came we did more of the same. Great evening, thanks everyone!

When the accordian came out things got a little crazy,
but eventually we settled down a bit.

Lots of good times but we were kickin it too.

Kian was kickin it!

Naomi was kickin it!

Even Opa was kickin it!

Of course Daddy was kickin it.

Everyone was kickin it but these two. Thank goodness or we would have starved.

The kids performed a dance-vocal routine while the adults doled out the tough love.

Not bad, coulda been better but not bad, they said.

Here's a sneak peak at Christmas day:

December Sleddin

2012-01-03T22:29:00.001-08:00

Kiki and his sled of choice: the modified tub-oggan.

About the first thing that I did when I arrived in Flagstaff was to get the kid a sled. I always worry when I'm not around that Kian might not be having enough fun, might not be getting out enough, heaven forbid. Our first time out on sleds we hit the NAU hill that I noticed on my way into town. Snow was spotty, it was a south facing slope, but there was a nice crew of other parents around chasing their kids and tugging them back up the hill.

Pre-shove off.

Every run ended in a slide and bail.

Packin' it in for the day.

Ode to Oma

2011-12-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

Walk with Grandma

I like to walk with Grandma, she takes small steps like mine. She never says "let's hurry-up! she always takes her time. I like to walk with Grandma, her eyes see things like mine. Shiny stones, a fluffy cloud, stars at night that shine. People rush their whole day through, they rarely stop to see. I'm glad that God made Grandmas unrushed and young like me!
Author: unknown

Walking with Oma.

Summer time is always Oma-time!

One year Kian wanted to watch Oma's plane leave us as she flew home at the end of the summer. We parked at the end of the runway and watched the planes fly over. Our house was always so sad after she left us at the end of every summer. That's just how we feel.

Silent Tear.

Each night we shed a silent tear,
As we speak to you in prayer.
To let you know we love you,
And just how much we care.
Take our million teardrops,
Wrap them up in love,
Then ask the wind to carry them,
To you in heaven above.

We love you, Oma... you are forever in our hearts!

A Santa in Every Mall

2011-12-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

In his '011 Christmas sweater.

Just prior to Annie and Kian's departure in early December for Arizona, we got together with Santa Claus and the Lutz clan for our annual photo session. Sure glad Santa was able to get to that mall on such short notice. Anyway, had a great time and it didn't hurt that we opened the session with a whopping meal at a mexican joint: cheese slathered yuminess.

Daycare Pics

2011-11-06T00:04:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple pics taken by Kian's daycare teacher, Fiel.

Dino Mean on Halloween

2011-11-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

Five of 6 cameras went out on us on Halloween, spooky, but the 6th camera was just a phone. There were some Kodak moments out there for sure. During the first such moment, when I pulled out Annie's Nikon and readied myself for the shot, not one electrical impulse fired. Batts dead. Bummer... that moment is gone forever and those pixels will never grace this blog in the form of a picture image, but I could try to paint the scene right here in words? Well, it was a dark cold night... really, it was, probably in the low 40's.

We were planning to head up to JBRJ's for the usual Snoqualmie Halloween trick or treat fest but a late start and word of bad traffic had us changing the plans. Instead, I hooked the chariot up to a bike, bundled up the kiddo underneath his dinosaur costume, and we hit the road towards Greenlake all lit up with flashy lights. We weren't sneaking up on anyone. Before we left I threw on my big black afro wig, a wolf mask, hairy hands and feet and so I was a wolfman pulling a small reptile. The streets were quiet all the way to Greenlake, we only came across a couple tricker-treaters. We stopped at just one house en route because we couldn't pass this one up, it was awesome, and Kian needed to get his shtick together before we hit some good neighborhoods.

Greenlake was dead. We rolled along a few blocks and I was second-guessing my plan and bummed for the little guy because he was missing out on his rightful privilege of a night of Halloweening. I turned off the main drag and just one block away we hit the jackpot: a big neighborhood with a thriving Halloween spirit and kids all over the place. We parked the rig and hit the first dozen houses on foot before double-backing and moving the bike to a new spot. In an hour he almost filled a small bucket since most of the people told him to take 2 or 3 pieces. A couple times he asked if he could take a piece for his daddy, pretty cute.

This morning I took what would have been a months worth of sugar-highs to the office with me and by the end of the day it was all gone. I feel a little bad, but Halloween isn't just about the candy. In about 3-5 years it may be just about the candy, but right now its still out-of-sight-out-of-mind, a convenient thing for us when a little sugar goes a bad, bad way.

The picture I'm thinking of would have been priceless. Here's a couple from the Flip that I managed to capture once I got the battery charged but after the authentic moments were lost forever.

For Real This Time

2011-10-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

Many months ago I reported that Kian used the potty for the first time. I figured that this was a monumental moment and that it was the beginning of the end for diapers, but it turned out to be a false alarm. We burned through hundreds of diapers since that day and everytime we had to pickup another pack of them it seemed to hurt just a little more than usual. It seemed almost like it was a "been there, done that" moment and he just wasn't interested. I tried pleading with his rational side every so often: less mess, less bother, less time, less cost for daddy, but he didn't seem to care. Then one day about a month ago he was sporting his big boy undies under his pants and he pleaded with us to put a diaper on so that he could poop... are you kidding me!? We actually did that a few times prior but I finally put my foot down. He was dancing around on his toes saying "hurry daddy, hurry daddy, put me in a diaper" and I knew then that I had him where I wanted him. "Kian, sit on the potty and I'll give you some ice cream". That was the hook that I was looking for. He's been awesome ever since and only wears diapers now when he's sleeping or on longish road trips. Whew, finally off the diaper!

Kian has lots of funny and cute turns of phrase that I always hope to document before he outgrows them. They sometimes don't last more than a few days and before I commit them to memory he's done with em. Today before dinner we were eating some cheese and crackers and I presented Kian with some brie and he says, so sure of himself, "I don't like brie, but when I'm older I will like brie!". Well, at least he's not to the "yuck" phase yet.

Doubled Up

2011-10-10T23:01:00.000-07:00

Kian raced while I cheered, then I raced and Kian cheered. We teamed up and did the double. Here's Kiki!

Not much mud but plenty of water.

I believe that it takes a village to properly raise a kid, and how many times in the few years have I re-realized how important this is and how little the "village" is in this country -- its a concept more practiced in the developing world, something they have up on us. But at a bike race with Kian I HAVE a village, and it helps that I joined a team as crazy and diverse as the village people. It turns out they do a pretty mean job of baby watching-entertaining the baby.

Mommy had to study so we called it a father-son outing and hit the races. Didn't get there late but as usual, scrambling from the time I arrive to get the bikes in order (wheels situated, tire pressure right, derailleur re-tuned), register and then pin-up, then get Kian registered and find the kiddy course for the Kiddy Race, then find someone to watch the kiddy while I get ready to race and then race... Its absolutely crazy to say the least, and the whole time I'm bumping into friends who want to gab and so its non-stop from the word lets go. After the race its the same thing in reverse, although now I've got Kian and have to feed him and change him while I clean myself and the bikes up, feed and change myself, and get to the sidelines with a beer so I can cheer and heckle my teammates and friends.

Kian's race in two parts, above and then below.

After the race Kiki shared race reports with Avi.

Bonus track:
A demonstration video featuring the cyclocross dismount and remount.

Free Fallin'

2011-10-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

We're free and clear into fall, that's for sure. And I have finally given up on summer and resigned myself to another fall and winter. World Championships of cycling are over, baseball playoffs are here, cyclocross is more than a month into it, and now that the leaves have been coming down for over a month I have to give in and embrace the season.

I like fall although its not as in-your-face over here in Seattle as it is on the east side of mountains. The shorter and generally wetter days I don't like, but today was the kind of day in Seattle that can ease you into the idea the winter is on the way. The sky was deep blue, the sun was bright although warmth distant, but the cool crisp air felt great and made you look forward to all the hearty pumpkin products... pumpkin lattes, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin ales.

The three of us started our day together by hitting the u-district farmers market after breakfast, then Kian and I set off from there on our own for a day of adventuring via the bicycles. I pulled the chariot but once we reached Woodland Park Kian mounted his Scoot. We parked the bikes outside and spent a couple hours trekking around the zoo, awesome day for it. Then we headed to Greenlake on our way home and spent a couple hours playing and riding around the lake.

We parked our bikes here and headed into the Farmers Market.

And along with the double baked chocolate almond croisants,
we found these very cool shrooms to photograph.

At the Zoo:

Lots of monkeying around.

Enough of this monkey business, let's get down to bikey busy-ness.

Parting Shot:

A day at the races: A couple weeks ago just prior to my race at Starcrossed.

En Garde: A Blast From the Past

2011-10-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

I just found this gem and felt like a repost: Kiki Scissorhands.

Taken May 2010 when Kian was 1year 9months.

Delicious Summer

2011-10-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

Umm umm yuck.
Whats your take on oysters: yum or yuck?

Our last trip of the summer to the cabin this year was a near perfect weekend: the weather was perfect, the food was amazing, we made ice cream, I buzzed Kian around on the motorcycle every day, we swam, and there was lots of hang out time. But can't believe how fast this summer went.

Kian ate at his own table this weekend.

Our ever gracious hosts and purveyors of the best Manhattans.
This side of the Chiwawa River, anyway.

Ice Cream time!

Kian Screams for Ice Cream!

Parting Shot:

Bocce Balls!

Down By The River

2011-10-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Throwing rocks while Annie catches the final rays in the canyon.

Late in August on our way home from visiting Grammy and Pappy at Chiwawa we stopped at our favorite watering hole. It was a warm day but not quite warm enough for a long soak or swim especially as the shadows got longer. But we all jumped in, except Kian, cause he was too busy hucking rocks. What a great spot. So many people drive by this amazing place without EVER stopping to check it out. Even when its too cold to swim its a beautiful place for a Highway 2 mid-drive break. The water is emerald green and the canyon walls are towering and impressive.

Back To Standby

2011-10-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

Annie said we'd had complaints about our "new" look so we're back to our former format with just some color changes. For those of you who didn't sign on for those 12 hours then it'll teach you to come back again and again even when we haven't posted in over a month.

Its been about six weeks! This is the longest we've gone without posting since our inception. Kian's inception. I'm turning over a new leaf! (How many times have you heard that before.) Well anyway, I'm taking you back to those long overdue pics that were taken in August and September but have been neglected their 15 minutes of fame.

Well this is embarrassing. Unfortunately I've had a technical issue: Blogger has changed some of the functions and their photo uploading is impossible right now. Lets hope that this is a temporary glitch and not the norm. Those pics are coming soon so stay tuned! Hopefully this doesn't turn into another 6-week hiatus.

New Looks

2011-10-04T16:21:00.000-07:00

Do you like the new look? I'm not sure that I do but I'm giving it a try. We have so many other NEWS in our life right now why not one more.

New house, new job, new nursing program, new daycare. About a week after I landed my job we moved into our new place. For one week I had a 4-mile bike ride to work and now its 13.

Oh, new virus: yeah, just caught something from Kian and I've got a tickle in my throat that I hope goes away right now. Annie and Kian are feeling something too but so far nothing that's completely wiped us out. Fingers crossed. Flu season is here.

Baby Rock Star

2011-08-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-08-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

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.

Biggest Day Ever

2011-07-19T23:17:00.001-07:00

Those "firsts" monuments seem to come in waves, and today a tidal wave rolled in. A tsunami.

Kian came up to me as he was playing outside and said he had to use the potty. Not a super big deal, he's been peeing in the potty for almost a month or more now, but I asked and he said he needed to go poopoo. Again, the alarms didn't go off for me because I thought it was another false alarm, but Oma took him up and sure enough, today he pooped in the toilet for the first time. Woohoo! This represents potential big diaper savings for us, we're superstoked.

But even cooler than that, for me at least, is today was Kian's first pedal-powered ride on two wheels! He finally guilted me into setting up his little Fatboy (I was trying to hold off until his 3rd birthday in a few weeks -- it's a hand-me-down bike that I bought for my nephew Reid when he was 3 and was also used by his brother Justin, so its becoming an heirloom. I cleaned it up, put on a set of new tires, new chain, we picked out a new saddle for it today, and just as I thought might happen it did: I pushed him off and he pedaled away without a hitch. Never a doubt, hardly a wobble, just some early issues with the coaster brake but he seemed to have that all figured out in 20-30 minutes. Fun stuff, although I'm hoping he doesn't totally give up on the scoot.

This maybe 30-minutes after his first try.

Sorry, no pics of poopin...

... only pedalin'

June's Going Zoom

2011-06-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

Yep, more excuses. My excuse this time is that I've been so busy making excuses that I haven't had time to post. We really shouldn't make excuses because its not for a lack of cuteness, and coolness, on the baby front.

Kian is amazing us DAILY! He's heading towards three -- yeah, 3 years old -- and he's blowing us away with his amazing little brain. His vocabulary, and even his grammar, is pretty incredible. He's probably not ahead of other toddlers his age but its a phenomenal occurrence nonetheless. Lots of energy, lots of curiosity, and we can engage him at so many levels now that its so much fun.

Camping with pool access... wait, that's not camping.

Yeah, it was pretty easy camping.

Let's go that way!

Yep, back at the pool with... shhh margaritas!

Here are a few pics we took last weekend on a short but sweet cycling jaunt up into the San Juan islands. We drove the RV up to Anacortes one evening where we had a Tortuga dinner, then spent the evening playing around the Marina: walking the docks and checking out boats, and riding our bikes in the vast grass and plethora of trails. Next morning we boarded a boat for Lopez where we hung out for two days, riding, hitting the pool, and... maybe the pics should tell the rest of the story.

Wawhat, Its June Already?

2011-06-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

Flippin Flip Is Finally Fixed

2011-05-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

White men can't dance, sure, but what about white babies?
No one ever makes fun of white babies.

Citizen Kiki riding public transportation.

Daygame in April: Kian can wave!

Hippity hoppin on the skoot.

Daddy Goes Down

2011-05-26T23:00:00.001-07:00

I've hardly raced all year, so why did I have choose tonight? I almost didn't go, and then when I went I almost didn't race because some friends had just finished their race and were going to stroll home easily and get a beer en route. I was tempted but then a teammate called me out, so I feel like I was forced to race. I needed the workout, I wanted to race, so it wasn't hard to twist my arm.

5 or 6 laps into a 35-lap race some young clown on a semi-pro canadian team who was sitting on the front as we nailed it at 30+mph decided to give the whole peleton that infamous "look". NEVER look back when you've got dudes on your wheel: the first 10-12 guys went down like a trainwreck and I was right in the middle. I lost some skin in very interesting patterns and the bruising on my leg might be equally as artistic in the morning, but what really hurts is that both my wheels might have been lost. My DA front is for sure a goner and the rear is a wonky mess. I won't even mention the retail value of these, let alone my very excellent replacement price: ouch!

Could've been worse, but I could have been swilling a mid-ride beer with bicycle buds while that bike wreck was going on. Could have been waaaaaaaaay better.

Could've been worse.

Long Time Slackin

2011-05-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

Play ball!

Its been months now since I've had a regular habit of blogging and now that summer is a coming and so are the grandparents, maybe its a mute effort to start up again now? Naw, who am I kidding: that attitude ignores that I'm doing this for us as much as for anyone else and I've got quite a few pics that need a place on the internet to land. Here are a few of the older pics on our cameras and to follow there will be more, hoping to bring us back up to speed over the next few days.

Spring is here and spring is baseball; baseball has sprung and Kian has sprouted! Kian has had his glove out and is getting his swing down and his arm in shape. He's got a pretty mean little cut, check out the vid. Kian and I coasted down the hill on our bikes to the ballpark last month and caught the most important innings before we'd all had enough (Mariners, especially). We used to have a clear shot of the stadium from our kitchen window but new green leaves on trees have obscured that view.

These parting shots below are from an evening along the central California coast on my way back up from a cycling "training camp" with friends in Los Alamos, CA. 2,500 glorious but spendy miles in the Tortuga! Worth every CO2 particle emitted.

Big City Beach Days: Two Of 'Em

2011-05-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

Kiki riding shotgun in the Rickshaw.

One warm day in April we loaded the family and some lunch goodies into the Tortuga and headed out to Alki with the urban masses to enjoy some sun: it was a distant sun, but if you dared bare your skin and ignored the goosebumps, you could faintly feel the solar radiation and could almost imagine that a warm and tropical place existed in the world. Shit, we had fun out there, pics don't lie, check it here!

A few days or weeks later, I forget now, Kian and I took the RV the other direction and parked on Lake WA no more than 2-miles from the house, but waterside. We kicked around on the paths and trails, and I towed Kian in the chariot up Lake WA Blvd to Seward Park with our friend Jonny. Another supergreat day out and about.

Ooooops, Another Month Down

2011-05-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

Where to start? How about right now! A few months ago I was about to come clean about how Kian had become this little unruly guy that Annie and I just couldn't control. He was smarting off non-stop, was having tantrums non-stop, and we couldn't figure out what we were doing wrong but as parents we second guessed our talents and our strategies. We thought about counseling, started reading more books and baby raising blogs, but sometime in the past month or two he's magically shaped up and he's back to being the more reasonable, happy little man that he used to be. We relieved, really really relieved, and life is a little easier.

It could be, as has been the case on an almost constant basis since his birth, that he just trained us. It might have just taken us those 4-6 months to respond correctly to his actions as we finally hit on the correct formula.

Waaaaaay Tooooooo Long

2011-04-22T10:15:00.001-07:00

It's been a MONTH since we posted. Woooops! Excuses? Yeah, I've got plenty so get comfortable. The first one is that I have created some posts but I haven't posted them yet, they are saved for further editing and photo adding.

In case anyone is interested, a blurb about the GET program, the education credits program that we started for Kian. He's got over 100 credits already and if anyone wants to add more, best to do so by April 30th to get the current, lower prices. http://www.get.wa.gov/importantdates.shtml

Nextly, our excuse is that Annie and I are both simultaneously at work... imagine that! For the past 3-years its been one or the other, a sort of magical thing, actually, considering that Kian is 2-1/2 and so we've had the luxury of more time around the little man. Reality has struck us though and we are both enjoying our respective grinds. Annie is at Virginia-Mason Hospital doing a nursing thing.

Here we go again... no time to finish this post but instead of saving for later I'm hitting publish now. Tomorrow would mark more than a month without a post and we just can't have that.

Luvvies from all of us here!

Daddy Does California

2011-04-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

It was supposed to be a family vacation. For all of us the timing was just right: I was start my job in 3-weeks, Kian had a 10-day break from daycare, and Annie was still looking for work but should have been able to do this from the road. With one exception: interview.

So I had to go it alone. My amazing friend Bryn fixed up my RV with just a pair of pliers and blow torch and so I loaded up the RV and set sail on Monday with a couple paying passengers who'm it connected with on Craigslist. Christopher and I hit it off, a good thing because he and his little Chihuahua pooch hung out with me for two-nights. I left him in Santa Rosa to make his own way into the Bay Area while I took my bike out of the bathroom and hit the roads under 85 and sunny skies. Awesome, that first day was one of the best rides of my entire trip: Kings Ridge. An 85 mile epic on steep, beautiful, narrow roads that took me out to the coastline and then back up through the Spring-lush rolling hills.

Next day my legs were knackered so I eased around San Francisco hitting all the sites and cool spots, once again under sunny skies and over 80 degrees. The city was outside after having been beaten by a 2-week storm. I lucked out, finally, and hit the weather just right. 70-miles in 7-hours on the bike: coffee shops, Chinatown quick eats, afternoon beer along Hwy-1, and lots of other stops. That night I drove to Santa Cruz and took out the mountain bike for a sweet 4-hour ride on coastline singletrack, then up into the hills and back via the University. Crazy ride, and all without a shirt on. Felt so good at the time but I would pay for this mistake with a pretty hefty sunburn. Fortunately Bryn was to the rescue.

She and Michael and a large 20-person gang of mostly Seattle cyclists were down in Los Alamos, near Santa Barbara, for a 1-week cycling camp and Bryn was my lotion applicator. The dudes wouldn't touch me. The next 6 days we rode epic after epic, mostly all of them leaving right from the hotel and with much needed warmth and sun.

Sick Of Sick

2011-03-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Kian's signature of approval! Spring skiing rocks.

Kian, no peein' on the trail!

Deep tuck for a super fasssst descent.

At the warming hut, aka Train Robbers Hideaway, skiing and having lunch with
the Gray Jays. I suggest they change the hut name to Camp Robbers Hideaway.

Getting back to the Depot from Guthrie is a 3-step process:

1-Pack it!

2-Load it!

3-Kick it!

The slog continues. I suffered with a mild bug for almost 3-weeks but haven't ever really felt awesome since then, so it probably tallies more than a month of hell. I don't feel that bad, just not good enough to do anything fun.

Got back yesterday from the Chiwawa and Kian is sick again, although he seemed fine to me. This morning he complained that he was "full" but still wanted to eat and then he threw it all up. After I changed his clothes and cleaned it all up he did it again, but on a new set of clothes and on the carpet this time. I kept him on the linoleum after that. Don't feel sorry for him, he was in good spirits, but I had to clean it up. He was immediately whistling his version of twinkle, twinkle lucky star and kept asking me "what happened, daddy, what happened?" as though it were some unknown event which caused the mess. I just glared at him. He whistled.

We had another sweet weekend at the cabin and I had the pleasure of tugging Kian up to Guthrie Loop on an amazing Spring day. He fell asleep 5 minutes out and when I got to the loop I unhitched him, parked him on the shady side of a snowbank (it was warm up there in the sun) and then I got in about an hour and a half of skiing all within eyeshot of the Chariot. When he woke up I pulled him down to the Guthrie Loop warming hut where we had lunch, skied, and fed the Gray Jays.

Belated From The Methow

2011-03-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

Heffe the Diesel pulling his Henry the Caboose.

Kian making a dash for it down the boardwalk in Winthrop.

Here's a few belated vids from our weekend in the Methow last month. The snow was getting a little thin back then but its since been refreshed, although the conditions then were still pretty primo. They kept calling for rain and warm conditions but every day the sun and blue sky made lengthy appearances. On a couple occasions that weekend the Jeff-Henry and Doug-Kian chariot teams got to ski side-by-side: Heffe and I chatted while the little ones mooned each other.

Winter's Back

2011-03-06T19:20:00.000-08:00

After about 6 weeks of winter drought La Nina returned and brought winter back in a big way. Almost too big a way. Stevens Pass had 3 feet of fresh snow in the days before we arrived on Friday and so the tracks were all a little soft, but no one was complaining. It was a perfect day out there with few skiers and so fresh corduroy could be had all day long. I'm still not back to perfect health and so I just got out for a short, easy 45 minute kick. But it was beautiful out there and I enjoyed it all a bit more going slow and taking a little less for granted how important my good health is to me: even taking it slow is more than many people are able to experience. But damn, I miss being at 100%.

The wind in the face, the snow in the teeth...

Kian had an awesome weekend of skiing and made some great gains. He spent nearly 2-hours straight with the skis on instead his usual 15-minute stints. He wanted more and we had to pry him off his 100-yard section of track to get him to come inside and eat. Some more pics coming soon.

New Snow

2011-02-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love waking up to a wash of fresh snow throughout the city? Lots of people, I bet, but no one in this house. Not any more than an inch of snow fell outside our place but it was a perfect uniform coating over everything: all that dirty, concrete and steel is now awash in white, its beautiful! But melting fast. Kian got to go in 2-hours late today although he's been out of daycare for more than a week so its not as novel as it could be.

Sick Week

2011-02-23T21:57:00.001-08:00

If sick week sounds familiar its because we're now on consecutive sick weeks. Kian and I relapsed on the weekend, through no fault of our own, mind you, and Annie succumbed. So this week we've been fighting wounded: Annie has been trying to keep her hospital hours up, Kian gave daycare another go but was rejected, sent home and has been diagnosed with an ear infection, and I've been somehow working extra hours at Cycle U just to bring home the bacon. Bacon bits. There are some signs of improvement now midway through the week but we'll see, our weekend plans might be in jeopardy.

Despite our various states of contagion last weekend we did get out, although kept it to a minimum. We got in some good movie/TV time, and missed out on some amazing crisp sunny weather over at the cabin. Here's a few pics of Kian getting after it at the Leavenworth Hatchery.

K-I-A-N

2011-02-18T10:35:00.000-08:00

Earlier this morning Kian surprised us by waltzing into the kitchen and spelling out his name. He is a little sponge right now and has several firsts just about every day. A few days ago he started saying Nope and Yip, in lieu of Yes and No, and although its not good and proper speech to be promoting in a developing child, its pretty awful darn cute.

This week is "sick week" around here. On Tuesday Kian was sent home from daycare not long after I dropped him off, and sure enough he was running a fever that required nurse consultation but never a nurse visit: by the rings under his eyes they guessed its a sinus infection. Tuesday evening I led very hard back-to-back workouts at Cycle-U which made me susceptible and sure enough, by Wednesday evening I had the bug. We've all been feeling pretty lousy this week but we're on the mend, although we'll probably end up taking it easy this weekend despite our ski plans. Buuuuuuummer.

Cuttin and jukin!

Here's a series of shots from the Chiwawa Dog Sled Races
a few weeks ago: sluggin' down some cocoa...

Ma-Za-Ma

2011-02-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

We just spent a super 3-day weekend in the Methow Valley with some of our best kid friends. The weather cooperated and we logged some awesome clicks on the ski trails. Here's a few pics from inside our cozy cabin in Mazama and hopefully I've got a few vids from the wild trails of the Mazama too.

Baby Henny (Henry). Baby Henny's not so baby anymore, coming up
on 1-year (and at 24-lbs he's gaining on the "big boys", Oliver and Kian.

Baby Lise (Elise), the youngest of the bunch at about 6-months.

Kian and Oliver.

A Couple Dude-Dads.

Aunt Mary: brave to be hanging out with the baby crew.
And sleeping on the couch. In the closet.

Multitasking.

Back out on the range...

Kian and Henry go sledding.

Oh yeah, you wanna see fast.

A Few New Flips

2011-01-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

Whachu lookin at Willis?

What's been going on? Just the usual, I guess, although if I were pressed to define the past two weeks I'd say there has definitely been a lot less of winter going on. We took almost two-weeks off from the snow, as a fam, in large part because of the wet warm weather we've been expewiencing. Although as usual, if you're not from around here you might not understand that the weather charts aren't really all that accurate. Just cause the symbol over Seattle shows a big cloud with raindrops doesn't mean its always raining, in fact, around here 80% chance of rain really means a 20% chance that it won't be raining. We like those odds this time of year. Case in point, the past two weeks. I got back on the bike that first weekend of no-go to the snow and I hardly got wet. I've done tons of city commuting and a couple big rides and have merely been splashed, and there's been a fair bit of the sunshiny stuff too.

Me Big Boy!

Kiki playing with the fart machine: the "other" fart machine.

But this coming weekend will show a return to the white stuff as we're headed to the Chiwawa. We'll host for a day or two at the nordic center and I might even do a bit of cross-country racing in Leavenworth at the Bavarian Cup. I've already skipped a couple of ski races, and with only a handful on the Northwest calendar if I plan to race any I'd better hop to it. Here's a quick clip of me yesterday at Hyak: I dropped Kian off in Snoqualmie, a real win-win for all: Kian gets to hang with his Aunt-Uncle-Cousins, they get to play with him, and I get to ski unencumbered sans the ski trailer. And a good thing yesterday because the snow was slow and I took the 12-km climb to the nordic system via the Catherine Loop trail... up up up.

Not a great sequence but quicker to upload than these little videos:
crazy! 1+hours and counting on this other clip.

And Wait That's Not All!

2011-01-24T04:43:00.000-08:00

A couple more Flips! No... Fips!

Here, an instant classic from New Years morning:

Kian doing his eye thing... we still haven't figured this one out.
Wondering if maybe he's been watching some Josie Wales.

A National Champ!

2011-01-14T14:56:00.001-08:00

Here's Kian going full hyper-sonic: the US National Champion of Spaz! At my urging, of course.

While am at it posting Flip shots, here's a glimpse of our commute home from daycare yesterday.

Skiki!

2011-01-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a 3-min composite of Kian's 1st big nordic ski day at SPNC. I should have chopped this down to under 2-mins but whats done is done and never the twain shall meet. The footage comes to you from my new Flip camera and this is the first I've actually edited any of the shots I've made. Fun but a little time consuming. I've got a few more "movie" concepts in the works that will be coming soon to a blogsite near you!

Note: the 3-min version was soooo cute but it wouldn't post on Blogger so was forced to use the "magic movie" feature which cut it down to a mere 25-seconds. Its just not the same but you'll get the idea.

Wordy Talky

2011-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

They told us at daycare that Kian was really starting to talk these days. We didn't need them to tell us that. Its fun to hear him string together two and three word concepts in his quest to eventually master this language. Okay, "tame" it. His latest new favorite phrase is "no way", as if he's just not getting through to us when he simply says NO.

Holy Cow: As I write this a story on NPR comes on about "baby talk" and trying to figure out language development in kids. Here's the link to the story, read or listen here. So, the next time you see Kian, talk to him, and according to the study, talk to him like he's rich! Okay, you'll have to play pretend.

Turn Of The New Year

2011-01-04T23:51:00.000-08:00

Tearin it up on skinny skis

More fall down!

Shleppin his own gear

And Cocoa too!

Great Classic Day: clear, crisp, extra extra blue

Frosty face: extra extra ice

The Holidays @ Home

2011-01-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

When we entered the final week before Christmas Kian took leave of his daycare and was full time under the command of daddy-fresh… wooohoo: stayin up late, no discipline, snackin all day… no so fast, little man. For the next two weeks its the newer, tougher, more badass daddy who’s in charge: mommy.

But Annie was STILL busy with things even though the classes had ended and so I was trying to keep The Dude active and busy and out of trouble. Grammy and Papa Reid were in town and we had lots of family activities planned, so there was little shortage of happenings. When there was we hit the underground rail line into the city to check out the festivities. One day after Christmas we hit the zoo and I’d anticipated the animals to all be hibernating but we were amazed at the level of activity. We saw at least 6 or 7 different species of primate and Kian was really into it: monkeys are in, giraffes are out.

With the family we had a night out in the city. We caught the light rail downtown, rode the carousel, shopped, shopped some more, drank expensive boutique coffee-shop cocoa, and just tried to keep warm in the chilly night air: Christmas and the Holiday feel was definitely in the air. On Christmas Eve – you’ve already seen some of the pictures—we hit a Christmas service at St Marks where Kian caused a lot of general disturbance. Didn’t even make it midway through the service when I had to take him into the foyer and was surprised to find it full of other moms and dads with their noisy 2-year olds were major horsing around ensued. That's a just a bit of what went down.

Cheery Mistmass

2010-12-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

Did we ever get spoiled. The family word was that it was to be a light gift year, so we weren't to spend much. Relieved, we came into Christmas with a lighter load of gifts than usual and looked forward to carrying home less "stuff", but not only did everyone else lie and overdid the gift-giving again, they gave a proportionately high number of awesome gifts this year. Bank!

Not only that, but JBRJ hosted another amazing Christmas with a dinner spread that would have made a King blush: prime rib, 20-times baked potatoes, dinner rolls softer than Kian's thighs, etc etc. The morning opened with bloody mary's, need I say more?

The Holidays, Backwards

2010-12-24T22:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've been slacking. Again.

I have a ton of pictures, so no excuses, and here it is on Christmas Eve and I'm making the first post in over 2-weeks. Lame. But this is the nature of the Holidays, this falling behind, never quite meeting expectations, being ever late, and so let this act of tardiness be the very expression which I'm attempting to express. Tomorrow we'll be late to Joanie's house for Christmas breakfast, you can bet on it. And it will be because we were late in wrapping our presents, late in baking the pie for Christmas dinner, late in putting Kian to bed, late to bed, late to the start-line two weeks ago, late for my own birth for you-know-who's sake... its a sort of cascade of lateness. But our presents look fantastic, our pie is going to be frickin amazing, Kian and we are going to sleep like babies tonight. You see, its more about the quality and so late isn't everything. And these pictures here are better late than never, eh?

Here are some pics from tonight with Papa and Grammy Reid at church and at home. There are some pics of me chasing Kian around the living room and vice versa. There are some pics of the 3 of us in Volunteer Park making pictures of ourselves over Seattle's skyline. There should be some pics of Kian eating doodah's (cookies) and us drinking hoohah's (hot toddy's).

Christmas Eve dinner, church service... happy hours!

Papa reading Kian "The Night Before Xmas".

Kian practicing "... and with a wink he took off up the chimney", or something like that.

A few from the photo shoot...

Thanksgiving For Snow

2010-12-08T11:20:00.001-08:00

I missed all the fuss. I was down in Tucson soaking up sun when the snows hit Seattle and Kian went hog wild playing in his first snow of winter. Grandma and pa Francis were in town visiting from Flagstaff and even they got to experience their first snows of the season. I was back in time for turkey with extended family and the rest of the week we got our dose of holiday fun.

Train wreck.

Train ride.

Kian stylin in his new hoodie sweater knitted by Grandma MA.

Downtown carousel.

We fought the crowds but it was worth it to catch the Seattle tree

and star lighting event.

Joooose!

2010-11-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

We bought a high quality juicer a few weeks ago and justified it by being able to stuff all those good healthy veggies that Kian won't usually eat straight into his gullet through a quick shot of tasty juice. It took us awhile to get the recipe right: he didn't like the strong snap of ginger, the bitter bite of lemon or celery, or the strange funk of spinach or other leafy greens, at least not without the sweet additives of apple, orange, and carrot. Here he is this very morning enjoying the simple pleasure of a fresh extraction.

Breathe, Kian, breathe....

Still mulling the taste over on his pallet: the verdict, Kian?

Oh yeah, he likes it!

In celebration of Movember: a superfood stache!

More!?

More More Mud!

2010-11-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

"More mud" was Kian's slogan for the day -- we think he heard the announcer or a passing racer say it, and it became his mantra as he rode laps through all the deepest, dirtiest mud holes. A bunch of the Team Soulsport gang rallied down south for the race and the weather was perfect for NW CX: muddy, chilly but clear and sunny with 2-3 wild rain squalls which kept the mud fresh and the puddles full.

Just put the mud right here.

Presiding over the action.

The RV's parked belly to belly for maximum awning coverage.

First Cut

2010-11-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

Kian's bronzed buddies.

I think it was shaping up to be a big lazy rainy Saturday in October, but after a big lazy rainy day breakfast we decided to rally and get out for some fun. We started at the zoo where we caught most of Kian's favorite attactions: elephants, orangutangs, all kinds of monkeys, the meerkats hippos penguins and giraffes. Then on the way home I offered to pay for Kian's first haircut if they'd let me (but I had to counter-offer to pay for cupcakes at Trophy too)-- he's hair was getting unruly and at 2 Kian decided that he was ready for a new look, an image changer.

Monkeyin' around!

Pick out a chair: Kian chose the boat, but
hmmm... that tractor looks nice too.

Pick out a toy: yep, a train.

A couple squirts, a couple clips, no problem...

Then all of a sudden...

Icing on the cupcake: helped Kian to deal with the loss
of his locks. Helped mommy deal too.

Backtrackin: Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

Annie has a ton of pictures on her camera that need to get posted and some go waaaaay back into late summer. Its almost winter now. Most of these pics are coming from October and that month really flew by. Here we are already in November with the daylight savings shift coming up, my least favorite time of the year. Why? In these latitudes children are destined to go to school in the dark and come home in the dark whether you shift the day an hour in either direction. Lets get on board with the forward thinking States and boycott it -- tomorrow is election day, lets get this one on the ballot!

Kian has been a super-stinker the past couple of months, of course he is two now so that comes with the territory, we're told. He's in daycare now and learning all kinds of tricks, and every day he comes home with new way of expressing himself: often new words, sometimes new means of manipulation. Otherwise he's doing great and physically he has caught up: he's finally reached the thirty/thirty club (30-lbs/30-inches) and he's above the 50th percentile in both of those.

It began as a super foggy morning but it all burned off and was fabulous for the rest of the day. We were up north of the city with Mari and her kids and we picked out a few pumpkins, rode a tractor-train and then went for a hayride.

One of Kian's favorite things right now is trains, he's really really into trains, and so about once a week we'll hike down Jackson Street to the "tube" and we'll hop the light rail into the city, and back, and forth, until he's happy... or I've had enough which, so far, comes first.

Not sure whats going on in this picture but it looks
compelling enough. Poor little guy has had his share
of nagging ailments last month.

First Cyclocross Ever

2010-10-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

Kian and I drove down to Portland one weekend to get out of mommy's hair since she had a test to study for. And also because there was a cyclocross race organized by my team Veloce Cycles-- Kian just had to give the sport a try. It was another epic day of mud and Kian and I both did pretty poorly, to be honest. Kian just didn't have the legs on this day, and I didn't even have the heart to finish (I was stung 3X by bees, crashed into a sticker patch shredding my legs and skinsuit, and I was crashing every 50 feet).

At the start line, Kian with no Portland call-up, still looking for that hole-shot!

And they're off!

C'mon Kian, hit it!

Where'd everyone run off to?

Battered, bruised and bloody.

Here's a cameo of the new rig! (not even fully built-up yet).
Not looking forward to getting this thing muddy.

Finally, Something Recent

2010-10-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Spent last weekend at a cabin in the Methow with many of the usual suspects. For years we have been going up there and I've always taken a spot on the couch, or floor, or tub, but this year it was proactively suggested that we take the upstairs master bedroom. Chock one up to the baby, yeah, score!

A bunch of the guys got in a decent mountain bike ride (did I say that outloud? While it was happening it was the "WRE", worst ride ever: turned into quite the hike-a-bike on what used to be a sweet, Methow epic, now its overgrown and unmaintained). The girls and kids kept closer to home. Next day was the big hike, but I managed to sneak in a ride up over the passes to get in some much needed double-duty.

We went big on the food again. We had two solid breakfasts, as always enough to keep us fueled all day long, but for the big dinner Annie made up 10 pizza doughs and we flattened them out and topped them individually. Turns out that 7 was even too many but whats better for lunch than leftover pizza.

Hey Kian...

You with me on this?

Ha ha, crazy doggies!

Ridin bareback.

A Very Serious Wedding

2010-10-05T12:40:00.001-07:00

Early last month we were celebrating with our Bellingham friends, Dave and Hannah, as they pronounced their vows and tied the knot. We took the RV, camped out, played boche ball and croquet and frisbee and bubbles and bikes.

The ceremony was a quick 3-step process:

Vows.

Victory.

...and Vroom Vroom into the sunset!

First there were bubbles. For awhile they lived peacefully, happy...

... until Kian came along.

I AM KIAN, KING OF BUBBLES, CONQUEROR OF ROUND
FLOATY THINGS THAT POP.

A sharp dressed manish boy.

Kian was looking so cool and dapper until....

Marlin got hold of him.

Okay Kian, put these motion sickness pills in your
mouth like this and you'll feel much better.

The Roobeck's, still rollin!

September Pics

2010-09-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Lookin cool.

Daddy's leg after getting hung-up in a sticker
bush during a cyclocross race.

The school bus home from daycare.

Wakin up grumpy in the RV last month.

Out!

Well of course you're cold, silly.

To Fall And To Bounce Is Sublime

2010-09-29T21:49:00.001-07:00

Things are looking an awful lot like Fall around here (emphasis on awful): back in school, back at daycare, back at cyclocross, days are getting shorter, rains are more frequent, mud is getting muddier. But the fruits and berries are still ripe on the vine, for now, but life is getting hard again. And daddy is trying to be the hardman again.

Speaking of fall, did we tell you about Kian's big crash? I think so, so instead of rambling I will leave this as a photo essay for now but will fill in my own tumultuous feelings later if if I haven't already done so just in case I didn't tell you how heart wrenching an experience it was for me probably because I feel negligent for not watching him during that moment he most needed me and because it wasn't me in pain and being able to blame someone else and hopefully because this is the first time I had to drive him to the hospital on my lap as he screamed and bled but then he realized that he was on my lap behind the wheel again just like in Mexico so he stopped crying and grabbed the wheel like when we were in Mexico almost a quarter of his life ago which reminds me that I did this very thing to my own parents and that life comes full circle. Oh shit!

Moments after returning home from a 4-hour emergency room visit:
but its post-hotdog, so all is well. And still on pain killers.

When I fell off that 4-foot retaining wall on my bike it was like...

... someone kicked me right here!

... really hard and right way down here, you know?

A couple of days after Kian's big crash he was back at it, licking his wounds.

Here's a picture of me after I went *splat* on the sidewalk.

Did I talk about our ER visit yet? Just in case I didn't, Kian was a champ, although he freaked like Donkey Kong. They checked us in quickly and gave us our own gurney, and the only place he felt safe was laying on my chest which was ironic because I was the one that did this to him. Things quickly came to a crawl. A nurse would come in to take some vital sign and then leave. A half hour later a different nurse would come in for something else. This went on, and time ta... ick... t. The doctor came eventually and she was great, and issued the decree that Kian needed a CT scan to make sure he didn't have a concussion. This wasn't easy because he wasn't about to be run through that dark Matrix looking tunnel alone in that crazy place, so the only way to make it happen was to... drug him. They squeezed this evil concoction up his nose and he went nuts, but 20-mins later, just as prescribed, he started smiling and giggling and carrying-on. It was really cute, but it worked because he let me feed him right into the belly of that scary beast of a machine. All good, no concussion, and they released him on his own recognizance although they wouldn't let him drive this time. Seriously, he wanted behind the wheel again and still does to this very day and that was about 3-4 weeks ago.

The scratch under his nose is being persistent and we're worried about scarring, rubbing in Vitamin E and scar cream to make it go away. The problem was that he had an ugly scab under his nose that was healing fine, but a wonderfully intentioned man cleaned what he thought was food from Kian's lip and inadvertently scraped the scab off. Not good, its looking like a scar but it will hopefully go away with time. All things do.

To Bend and Back

2010-09-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

Last year we took 3-weeks, but this year we only had 1 to get away in the Tortuga before school, work, cyclocross racing, daycare, all kicked in and Fall gets down to its dirty business. Instead of heading North as we are so want to do these days, we went straight into the eye of the sunshine -- the nearest reliable sunshine that we could find on the Doppler radar in the entire Northwest: Central Oregon.

Day 1 was to be Daddy's day. All summer I've been wanting to hit the roads around Mt Rainier National Park to find out how many vertical feet that I could log in the fewest horizontal miles. I once climbed 18,000' during a 100-mile mountain bike race and so I've set a goal, perhaps a bit naive, of 20,000' on a road bike, but according to my calculations this just isn't possible on paved roads this side of the Bramaputra and that side of the Indus (but its debatable whether or not the roads in the Himalaya region can be called paved). Roads just aren't steep enough. Anyway, after a grueling 88-miles in which sunlight and my energy faded at just the same time, I had only climbed a measly 11,100'. Twice up Sunrise, Cayuse and Chinook, then up Paradise via Stephens Canyon. I'll try again another time and I'll pace myself a little more wisely next time. Starting before noon would be a good thing too, especially during the waning daylight hours of September.

Day 2 was Annies, although it didn't quite turn out as planned. We got to Smith Rock by midday but due to the intense sun and heat, and Kian requiring a nap, Annie had to rely on the graciousness of other climbers rather than me to belay her. She set off for about 4 hours on her own in which she managed to hook up on a couple cool climbs, although not quite satisfied since there were ones that she had already done in years past. We'd hoped to spend more time at Smithie, but Kian decided that we should head to Bend because Day 3 was his day.

The rest of our trip was shared pretty equally although we spent a good portion of our time playing with Kian in various parks. He was all about his Big Bike and logged a ton of miles. Here's a few pics of our trip.

Hanging out near Smith Rock.

Another park, another great day.

Sunset from Paradise, Mt Rainier.

Monanah Dreamin

2010-09-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

Great shot! Aunt Jojee snapped this one while Kian was staying with them up in Snoqualmie for a night. Looks like the motorcycle got the best of the little guy.

This was a few days ago, pre-bike crash.

Yeah, the kid went down hard yesterday and he's not looking nearly as cute or sweet right now, unfortunately -- his face took the brunt of the fall and his lip, nose and forehead are all scraped up. We were 3-4 hours in the local ER. He was brave, I was not. Today he's been cute as ever and playing nicely... he's moving on. So don't worry, all is well. I'll post a pic when I can capture something that doesn't make him out to look like a total monster.

Choo Chooin' Seattle

2010-08-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

Grammy and Papa Reid came to stay with us one perfect day in Seattle and we took Kian into town. Downtown, that is. The only way the day might have been more perfect for Kian was had we shuttled to the train on a motorcycle.

We caught the train here, just down at 4th and Jackson, which put us right
into the tunnel and only a 15-minute wait between trains.

The other train ride: Monorail!

Last stop: After lunch at Westlake Center was the Seattle Center
fountain, amazing! Kian and I dropped down in for a run around.

Fountain, you will soon be mine, prepare to meet your greatest challenge.

Blue Day, Zoo Day

2010-08-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

Yeah, what a morning. Just the kind of weekday without work that we were looking for to hit the zoo. Apparently the rest of Seattle was waiting for a Monday too because every new and expecting mother in Seattle was there -- I've never seen so many prego women in my life. The zoo used to be a 5-min bike ride from home but now its 35-mins which just means more bike time for me. The entire ride over Kian pointed out every motorcycle, scooter and bicycle that we passed whether it was moving or parked.

Unhooked Chitty-chitty from the bike which we then locked outside, changed my riding shoes to running shoes, flipped down the stroller wheels and we were off, running, cutting, dodging through the zoo. We started with the farm animals this time and got to smell the pigs the goats the chickens and the rabbits before heading counterclockwise past the flamingos, spiders bugs and snakes, the espresso stand for a quick shot, then we caught the feeding frenzy of the penguins before diving into the tropics to see ocelots, monkeys, colorful birds, turtles, where we sat and ate lunch then took a right turn into the meerkat bat and two-toed sloth pavillion which was near the jungle domain of the giraffes, elephants, orangutangs, wildebeasts, tapirs and then finally the south gate of the zoo where we reconverted into a bicycle to head back home for nap time. No crib necessary: Kian was out in the first mile and slept despite all the bumps and turns, and I got to carry him up the stairs to his bed with only a few mumbles and squeaks of protest. Putty.

Scootin'

2010-08-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

For his 2nd birthday Kian scored big. Train set, play table, tons of hipster clothes, cool rubber boots, and a new bike... yeah, he's catching up to daddy and now has three bikes (trike, 12" wheel bike and his new scoot). The first few days he was a little tentative on the new bike because its a balance bike, the latest new thing for kids getting into bikes: the idea is that without pedals they learn to balance and glide first. I tried taking the drive-train off his "fatboy" (the bike that I bought for Kian's cousin Reid 10-years) so that he could use it as a scoot, but the stand-over height was too much so I broke down when I saw the lines on this 2011 model Specialized Hotwalk. Pretty racy.

After about a week he started coasting on his own and now he's a little daredevil, rippin around. Last week we took him over to Greenlake and he got so daring he accidentally rode right into the kiddie wading pool: it shook him up for a few minutes but we dried him off and he was right back at it.

Scootin' around at Greenlake.

Daddy's turn to scoot, so hang on!

If only daddy had some cool red shoes too.

Thanks, Oma!

2010-08-19T22:25:00.000-07:00

After over 2-months of living with us this summer, Oma finally had to go back home to Flagstaff and now our guest room is strangely empty. Kian still calls out "Oma, Oma" every day, and now its way busier and crazier around here. When Carol was here things got done and Kian was always entertained. Now dishes pile up. Kian doesn't always have a playmate. Things just don't always get done. Something has got to give when there is too much to do and too few people to do it.

Even after all my 3rd world travels where extended families living under one roof was the norm, I wasn't sure that I could actually handle it, but now I'm pretty sure. Its hard at times, no doubt, but once you get over that excessive and unreasonable sense of space and privacy that we Americans have you realize what an amazing gift it is to be so close to family. Its best for the youngest and the oldest of us, and so it must be the selfish middle-aged of us who guards that sense of space.

On Thursday morning after we drove Carol to the airport, Kian and I did some airplane chasing. We found a park near the end of the runway and watched 30-minutes of airplanes taking off as we sat on the warm hood of the car. Kian kept saying, "more airplane", and they did at a rate of almost 2 per minute.

Oma, we miss you, thanks for everything!

Oma, Don't Go

2010-08-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

So, on Oma's full final day with us, Kian and I took her out to breakfast and for a stroll around Pike Place Market hoping to lure her into staying longer. Surely after seeing the bounty of Seattle and experiencing the vibrant lifestyle she would postpone that flight. Oh yeah, she was here for most of June and so she wouldn't be fooled: drat the weather.

Kian appointed himself guide: I think its this way.

Oma, here's where they give out free money in open guitar cases and
large jars and they always serenade you to it with live music.

These critters make the most deliciousest Seattle Benedict.

Breakfast at Lowell's.

I'll have mine sunny side up, please, coffee black.

Hey Kian, can you show us his snout?

No, not his, the piggies!

And what a fine snout it is!

**Oma is German for Grandma.

Yabadabadoo, I'm Two! And Happy Anniversary Too!

2010-08-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa!

Happy Birthday Kian (and Annie)!

... Bout time. Kian had been showing signs of terribleness for months and so either he's an early bloomer or we're really in for it. Anyway, he's finally two and there have thankfully been no drastic sudden changes in his terribility levels.

We've been celebrating for 3-weeks, the lucky dog. Party one was unofficial: we were at the cabin with the clan and we let him unwrap his new bike -- I figured there is no sense in sitting on something that he might so soon outgrow, so give it to him now. Party 2 was on his actual birthday, and Annie's too, of course, and we celebrated it with Mexican food at Alki and then with Cupcake Royale's and bonfires on the beach. Grandma and Grandpa and Oma were there, so it was a family affair. Pics anyone? Party three was the biggie at the cabin with all the family, the cake, and tons of presents. Seriously, a ton of wood and plastic makes a lot of toys.

The birthday celebrations coincided with Grammy and Papa Reid's 46th Wedding Anniversary so there's was lots of partyin goin on. Fun times, great weather, awesome people, if I say so myself.

Nuther round of Arnie Palmers please.

Piggy back.

After 130-miles: Seattle to Chiwawa door 2 door.
Not quite too pooped to party.

Choo Choooooooooo!

2010-08-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

The new train table and railway system: just set up this morning.

Right now trains are all the rage around here. That, and mananas: motorcycles. Almost anything that's loud and obnoxious is cool. C'mon, he's officially a "terrible two" now and loud and unruly are definitely the M.O. More about all this and our killer fun weekend on the Chiwawa coming soon... with pics! Here's a little teaser from the little cheeser: