newest somewhat little person

Monday afternoon my newest nephew Ethan, aka Frank the Tank, finally made his appearance in this world. He had to be persuaded to show up but he is here.
We had thought he would be a good sized baby but we underestimated just a bit since he weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 14 ounces, though his Mom didn't seem nearly as surprised as the rest of us. Pretty sure he will be talking next week and on to kindergarten the week after based on size alone.

Of course because of his excellent genetics he is pretty cute - but then I could be just the teeniest bit biased.

After seeing another baby in the nursery next to Ethan the new dad, Dave, asked if that baby was a preemie. Nope he was informed that is what a normal size baby looks like.

Welcome Ethan. We will try and spoil you just as much as your cousins, Levi and Justin, pretty sure though the spoiling is already under way.

0 in a 60 MPH zone

For almost 3 months now my truck speedometer has been broken. Initially Sam blamed it on the fact I had been using 4WD in the truck during the snow but after I went back to 2WD it still didn't work consistently. Occasionally I would drive along and it would suddenly register but it was never accurate and then it would be back down to zero when I looked again.

Since much of my driving is in Seattle traffic for the most part it hasn't been that big of a deal. After all most of the time I can't get up to the speed limit much less hit excessive speed.

It was almost freeing in a way since I really didn't know how slow the driver in front of me really was. I didn't get quite so annoyed because I couldn't actually verify they were really doing 20 in a 35 zone. It felt slow but I could no longer prove it.

I kept thinking maybe my speedometer would suddenly make a comeback but no such luck. I figured when it was time for my next oil change I would have them take a look. So finally after much procrastination on my part I made an appointment at the dealer to get it looked at for this next week.

This weekend I drove to Lake Chelan and unlike most of the time when I drive I was the only car on the road much of the time. I could have been driving 45 or 80 - I wasn't really all that sure. I planned if I was pulled over to use the no speedometer defense without mentioning I had waited so long. Luckily I didn't have to use it but I will admit I made unusually good time in getting home Sunday night.

After getting home in such good time I wondered if I really needed a speedometer after all. When one can make such good time not knowing if they were speeding it seemed like maybe I really didn't need it fixed. Maybe I should just wait and see if my excuse of driving 0 in a 60 MPH zone will work. Probably not so it just might be best to keep my appt on Friday.

I still have 3 more days of not knowing my speed so I will enjoy those and be in for a rude shock when my speedometer actually registers. Somehow I know I will see 80 when it feels like I am only driving about 50, so Friday will be a bit of a reality check.

Disclaimer: While this is what my speedometer looks like while driving on the highway I did not take this picture myself. I have been driving with both hands since it seems I need to hold the wheel in the 10 and 2 position lately to keep the car on the road around corners. I am sure this isn't do to excessive speed at all, but rather my newly acquired habit of following what I learned at 16 in drivers ed.

indoor pool

I wonder what age it is when the public indoor pool is no longer as appealing as it once was.

As a kid I spent many hours at the public pool leaving only when my mom made me or the pool closed. I thought it was one of the best places to hang out. I was never grossed out by the smell of chlorine or had to wear flip flops in the shower. I don't believe the thought of germs ever even crossed my mind.

Fast forward to this weekend. Tanya and I met up at Wapato Point for the weekend to hang out. We had gotten the time share in an auction and knew the boys would have a good time since they had an indoor pool. We showed up at the pool and the chlorine smell hit us right as we opened the door along with the moist, moist heat of an indoor pool. Funny how I knew the smell from childhood but it no longer made me smile instead I was wondering how long we would have to stay.

Once I would have jumped right into the pool but now we made our way to the hot tub while the boys jumped right in. We dangled our feet in the hot tub until the heat forced us to move over to the pool to dip our feet in there. I opened the sliding doors to the outside to try and get some cooler fresh air. Really the time went pretty quickly and about 2 hours later we dragged them out of the pool.

The next day it was pretty much the same routine though the number of people increased. Levi and Justin had friends come up so that kept them entertained. I noticed though we didn't stay nearly as long.

By the third time though I was pretty much done right when we entered the pool area. Too many people/kids and the humidity was getting a bit much. Right when we got there both Tanya and I were wondering how long it would be before we could leave. Could we tell them right away we would be leaving in 10 minutes?

The hot tub I had been dangling my feet in the previous 2 times suddenly seemed much more like a germ fest and I caught myself looking at some feet wondering if I wanted to be in the same warm water with them.

So I guess in my case it is 38 when the public inside pool isn't quite as appealing.

e books or paper?

I have been debating for some now about getting a Kindle but have held off. I am somewhat of an electronic gadget junkie and love having new gadgets before everyone else but when the Kindle came out I wasn't excited or even the least bit tempted.

Fast forward now to the Kindle 2 and suddenly my interest is perked. I am suddenly considering reading books without turning pages and holding a dog eared book in my hands. I have always felt it wouldn't feel like a book if I couldn't turn the pages and feel the paper but my library and book shelves are full. I put books I read now into my give away boxes but when it comes to sorting through my shelves and shelves of books I cannot bring myself to do it.

Also our travel guide books are starting to pile up and when we go on vacation I end up carrying a book to read and at least 2 travel guide books in my purse. While it might help me get in a bit of a workout it can be a bit tiring dragging them all over the city.

So now the Kindle 2 is looking very appealing and I suddenly have the need for yet another gadget. I will definitely still read paper books - after all I can get those for 99 cents and they can get wet at the beach, and best of all passed along.

When I told Sam I was finally considering it last night he of course had to mention that our boat would be much lighter without all the books I pack along. And if we are able to head out on our adventure some day there is no way our boat - no matter what the size - would be able to hold enough books for me to make it at sea for an extended period of time. Guess that once again shows Sam's thought process - if it is good for the boat and will increase the time I will spend on board he is all for it.

So in the interest of making our boat lighter I will be looking to pick up another gadget - guess it all makes sense when you think about it. Plenty of reading materials and less boat weight is definitely a reason to justify spending.

turning 6

Turns out when one turns 6 Wall-E trumps Star Wars and Monster Trucks.

A call from Uncle Sam in Germany letting Justin know he could eat Sam's slice of cake. Justin definitely let us all know he got 2 slices of cake this year that way.

The pinata only lasted 2 swings this year - guess turning 6 puts some power into those arms.

Thanks Justin (and your mom) for another great birthday. I know you would have rather had your "boating buddy" Uncle Sam there but thanks for inviting me anyways. Plus you have to admit I don't do so badly on the present end of things - after all I do listen to your requests. I look forward to another year of adventures together. I know your boating buddy is coming back soon and we have plenty of adventures planned via the water. I am sure many of them even involve you getting to drive the boat.
Love, Aunt Kayla

baby e

In order to make sure Baby E is set for his arrival - late arrival we keep telling her, we threw Carla a baby shower to help get her ready. Of course we all wanted to see just how big her belly had gotten though we don't want to tell her that (in reality it is still pretty small though she certainly doesn't feel that way).

The green theme matched the room which is green and brown - pretty stylish for the little guy thanks to Baby E's Nana and Grandpa Phil.

No event in our family can be without too much food.

With all the gifts Baby E is set to make his arrival and his mom is ready to bring plenty of diapers along on his adventures.

We can't wait to meet the little monkey (we will see if the monkey theme was really a good idea) though I still think he will make a late arrival as it is a family tradition - sorry C. Sam will be excited to see that Baby E also has a few sailboats in his room. I know Uncle Sam is already planning his first sailing trip - think a week old is too young? After all professional sailors start early and he wants to give him every advantage.