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| Big Brother and little sister, July 2006 |
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| Big brother, big/little sister, little brother, September 2012 |
Monday, September 17, 2012
Back to the Future
Tonight we attempted to recreate an updated version of one of my all time favorite pictures of the kids. Enjoy the sequel!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Party of 5!
On Wednesday, August 22nd we welcomed Grady David Werner into our world! 13 days later, in many ways it seems like he welcomed us into his world.
Grady was scheduled to join us on Thursday the 23rd, but of course he had other plans. At around 1:30AM on Wednesday, Steph woke me to ask for a piece of paper and a pencil. I assumed she had been lying awake at night, and decided to make a list of things for me to do the next day. To the contrary, she wanted to track the timing of the contractions she had started feeling 15 minutes earlier. I filled her request and laid back down, confident she was imagining things. 10 minutes later, she was on the phone with the doctor, who told us to come to the hospital right away.
We scrambled to get packed up for the hospital (I had steadily depleted my "go bag" over the prior few days), called Grandma Marsha to come watch the kids and woke Cameron and told him to sleep in our room in case the kids woke before Grandma made it up. I turned the shower on, eliciting a prompt response from Steph "YOU ARE NOT TAKING A SHOWER". "Of course not... I was just rinsing the drain"
With contractions 6 minutes apart, we raced to the hospital. As an aside, Steph was not exactly appreciative of the chance to experience labor again before her scheduled C-Section. Fortunately I had the clarity of mind to snap this photo of one of her last ever contractions, which got me yelled at by Steph, but I know she'll be glad to have it down the road...
Once checked in, things went very quickly, and in just under 3 hours, we went from Steph being jolted awake by her first contraction at 1:16AM to meeting Grady at 4:14AM!
After a few hours of recovery, and some needed snoozing by all, the kids arrived to meet their baby brother! They had been eagerly anticipating this moment for months and we are so excited to see how they have bonded with the little fella.
These first couple of weeks have been a whirlwind! Within a couple of nights, Grady found his groove with the nighttime sleeping routine. He sleeps well in between feedings such that we are generally getting up only twice per night to feed him. He rarely cries without a good reason, and loves to be held by anyone in his family. He is an outstanding eater, and never gives Mom problems with his feedings. In fact, between his first pediatrician appointment on Monday the 27th and his next appointment 4 days later, he gained 3/4ths of a pound. That's an 11% weight increase in 4 days!! Sadly, we are seeing his newborn wrinkles filling in before our very eyes... they grow up too fast!!
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| Our little wrinkle boy |
In the months leading up to his birth, we often wondered how he would differ from Jackson and Mackenzie. They were both so similar in appearance as newborns that we just knew there would be something about Grady that was drastically new. Judge for yourselves:
WHICH BABY IS WHICH????
And of course, the big question on everyone's mind was whether Grady would be born with a full head of hair like his brother and sister. I think he could be in shampoo commercials!!
One last item to note: it is common for babies to frequently have hiccups, but Grady is a hiccuping machine! Fortunately, he is a very cute hiccuper:
Well that's our update through 13 days... more to come!!!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Leavenworth
For the last week of July I took a staycation, one week off to hang with the kids and celebrate Kenzie's birthday. With Steph eight months pregnant, camping was pretty much off the table, so we did the next best thing, finding a cabin on the Chiwawa River near Leavenworth! Our rental pretty much included every camping activity other than sleeping on a mat over dirt and rocks, which Steph was quite okay with.
Activities included hiking, fishing, campfires, horseshoes, giant chess, foosball, and playing in the icy cold river. We also brought Jackson's bow and arrow that he got for his birthday, polishing our archery skills in advance of the Olympics!
The kids most enjoyed hiking, hot tubbing, and marshmellow roasting around the campfire, and in general were just excited to spend 4 uninterrupted days together. They also surprisingly had fun on a day trip to Leavenworth, where we enjoyed Bavarian food and shopping.
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| Professional relaxers |
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| Exploring an old growth forest |
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| Jackson, Kenzie, Steph and Baby ?? enjoy a nice break during our hike to Hidden Lake |
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| Hidden Lake, Unhidden Smiles |
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| Smoke dog poses for his glamour shot |
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| Didn't catch any fish but they did catch 2 dragonflies. And we watched another kid catch a fish and then an otter came up and stole it! |
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| Giant chess Archery! |
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| Corey scores a bullseye! |
Friday, June 8, 2012
Tooth Fairy Tales
Last night marked likely the last visit to the tooth fairy to our home for a while, as Mackenzie lost what I think is the last of her first round of baby teeth. At least I think... there may be one more that I'm not aware of.
I am happy to report that the tooth fairy has never failed to deliver a shiny gold dollar for each of our kids' lost teeth. This is good, because both kids, Mackenzie especially, get really excited about the tooth fairy. Jackson was a little slower to pick up on the concept, as he didn't have an older sibling through whom he could live vicariously. Mackenzie knew what to expect and eagerly, impatiently awaited the day she could put her first tooth under her pillow.
So our saga began with Jackson's first tooth, which came flying out of his mouth after he tripped in our kitchen, followed by him crying and begging his mother to put the tooth back in the hole in his mouth. By contrast, his sister's first tooth came via self extraction, when she one day quietly slipped into a bathroom and worked her first loose tooth back and forth, didn't fret over the blood coming out, and finally pulled the tooth out with her bare hands. Yesterday, Mackenzie found a clever way to get that last tooth out, while abiding by the new "no pulling" rules. She jumped toward the couch and landed on her forearms, leveraging physics to use her own momentum to pop the tooth out with the sudden deceleration.
At bedtime she put the tooth under her pillow in a baggie, per her usual routine. As I sang her songs, I deftly moved the bag close to the edge of her pillow, so the tooth fairy could access the tooth without waking her, which has always been a major challenge. My well intentioned idea was foiled, however. When the tooth fairy came to make the exchange, Mackenzie had a vice grip on the bag with the tooth in it... as if she had her own version of an old phrase: "you can have my tooth when you pry it from my cold, sleeping hands". Fortunately the tooth fairy is an old pro, and was able to wrestle it away from Kenzie. I can't wait to hear all about it when I get home tonight!
I am happy to report that the tooth fairy has never failed to deliver a shiny gold dollar for each of our kids' lost teeth. This is good, because both kids, Mackenzie especially, get really excited about the tooth fairy. Jackson was a little slower to pick up on the concept, as he didn't have an older sibling through whom he could live vicariously. Mackenzie knew what to expect and eagerly, impatiently awaited the day she could put her first tooth under her pillow.
So our saga began with Jackson's first tooth, which came flying out of his mouth after he tripped in our kitchen, followed by him crying and begging his mother to put the tooth back in the hole in his mouth. By contrast, his sister's first tooth came via self extraction, when she one day quietly slipped into a bathroom and worked her first loose tooth back and forth, didn't fret over the blood coming out, and finally pulled the tooth out with her bare hands. Yesterday, Mackenzie found a clever way to get that last tooth out, while abiding by the new "no pulling" rules. She jumped toward the couch and landed on her forearms, leveraging physics to use her own momentum to pop the tooth out with the sudden deceleration.
At bedtime she put the tooth under her pillow in a baggie, per her usual routine. As I sang her songs, I deftly moved the bag close to the edge of her pillow, so the tooth fairy could access the tooth without waking her, which has always been a major challenge. My well intentioned idea was foiled, however. When the tooth fairy came to make the exchange, Mackenzie had a vice grip on the bag with the tooth in it... as if she had her own version of an old phrase: "you can have my tooth when you pry it from my cold, sleeping hands". Fortunately the tooth fairy is an old pro, and was able to wrestle it away from Kenzie. I can't wait to hear all about it when I get home tonight!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Softball Slugger
Despite our assumptions that she would make a career of dance and gymnastics, Mackenzie has declared that softball is her favorite activity. After a rocky first practice, when she cried and didn't want to leave my side, she now counts the days to softball, loves her black and silver "Rebels" uniform, and is eagerly anticipating her first game this Saturday.
We are happy to see her get such joy out of her first team sport, and love the pride she shows. My favorite example is that when they finally got their hats, she insisted on writing her own name in her hat, and penned her name as meticulously as I have ever seen her write it.
We are looking forward to a fun season!
We are happy to see her get such joy out of her first team sport, and love the pride she shows. My favorite example is that when they finally got their hats, she insisted on writing her own name in her hat, and penned her name as meticulously as I have ever seen her write it.
After just a handful of practices, Mackenzie has quickly developed a nice, fundamental throwing form, is putting together some nice swings on the ball, is getting more consistent with her batting stance, and as soon as her little hands get big enough to squeeze her mitt over the ball, I'm certain she will be a stellar fielder!
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| GO REBELS!!! |
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Fiji Time
Last week Steph and I went on my reward trip for my 10 years of faithful service to F5 Networks. After endless deliberation over the past 4 years or so, we finally settled on Fiji, after considering Bali, Canary Islands, Thailand, Costa Rica, Turks and Caicos, Tuscany, Turkey, and Burien. We ultimately wanted to go somewhere warm, culturally rich, and unique to any travel we had done before.
Our extensive research and deliberation led us to a private resort on the island of Vanua Levu, called "Emaho Sekawa". The resort, which aptly describes itself as "unique in Fiji, unique in the world" caters to one lucky couple or family at a time. Set on the hillside above a private beach, surrounded by acres of lush tropical rainforest, and proffering breathtaking views in all directions, Emaho Sekawa was the perfect place to unplug from our busy lives for a few days and get to know a unique culture and environment.
Upon our arrival, via the largest and smallest airplanes either of us have ever flown on, we were warmly greeted by our hosts Petra and Lukas, and their excellent staff, comprised of Fijians from the surrounding villages. Our stay began with a welcome song in Fijian, banana leaf leis, and fresh coconut juice for Steph and champagne for myself.
Our amenities included a beautiful villa, with open air living and dining areas, an outdoor "day bed" adjacent to a small plunge pool, a beautiful wrap around deck with an outdoor shower, and a self contained master bedroom. Above the villa was a dining pavilion, in traditional Fijian "bure" style, with a separate bar, and a large lawn area for dining under the stars.
We quickly settled into a typical cadence to our days. In the mornings we had a relaxed breakfast, followed by some sort of excursion. In the afternoons we read and snoozed, with the background music of daily afternoon thunderstorms. Evenings were spent enjoying dinners at the pavilion, watching the gorgeous sunsets, and learning about the local ways from Inisa, our host in the evenings.
Our first evening we ate outside by the pavilion, and we discovered the perfect conditions for good star gazing: go to an undeveloped island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a moonless, cloudless night... and have the power go out. With not a single light on within 50 miles and nary a cloud in the sky, we saw some stars! Venus was unbelievably bright, and as the night wore on, we watched it dip toward the horizon, and start to change colors, at which point it occurred to us that we were watching "Venus set". Unlike sunsets or moonsets, Venus sets very quickly, and we had fun guessing when it was going to suddenly disappear... saying over and over "there it goes!" during the 20 seconds or so that it took to vanish.
For our first daytime activity, Lukas took us kayaking on the nearby river into the rainforest. Steph and I shared the work equally: I did the paddling, she did the picture taking. Teamwork! Our surroundings were incredibly peaceful, as we paddled along the beach to the mouth of the river, up river, and eventually into the little tributaries under the canopy of the rainforest. The only sounds were the birds and the occasional coconut or fruit falling into the water. Over the course of about 4 hours, the only other beings we saw were a couple of cows that had wandered down to the river's edge for a drink. At this point it dawned on us just how incredibly unspoiled this island was. We were literally the only tourists we saw our entire stay on the island. The only other westerners we saw were the yachties at the marina in Savusavu.
After our hard work in the kayak, we had massages in the villa while the heavens opened up and dropped torrential rain for hours on end. Not a problem, as we were ready to just relax and dine in the villa. Overnight the clouds rained themselves out, and we awoke to sunny skies, ready for our next excursion... Sand Island.
After months of careful politicking, Lukas was able to persuade the local chief (yes, Fiji is to this day run by a hierarchy of native chiefs who earn their position by birthright... ) to give access to a tiny island known as Sand Island. His guests are the only people allowed on the island, and as such it is virtually untouched by people, to the extent that we found it inhabited by seabirds, who laid their eggs out in the open, completely unprotected. They were a nervous wreck when we showed up!
We snorkeled Sand Island for an hour or so, seeing a couple of sea turtles in addition to the usual assortment of tropical fish. Lukas found a really cool conch, which is apparently pretty rare in Fiji. After a picnic lunch, we jumped back in the boat and raced the thunderstorms home.
In the afternoon we went into Savusavu, the main "town", which is really just one street of shops and restaurants, a market, the marina, and the surrounding villages. We noticed that half the population doesn't care to wear shoes. As we rode back with Petra, we continued a conversation we had been having with Lukas on our kayak ride, learning more about the people of Fiji. We had been ignorant before our trip that Fiji is a third world country. The average native of Fiji has very little or no money, but they want for nothing. Food grows everywhere you look, the weather is mild, people are extremely friendly, and there is no crime. We heard some amusing stories from Petra and Lukas, as they talked about their own experiences hiring staff. Lukas talked of a man in his 50s that he hired who had never had a job before, and trying to explain "hours" and "breaktime", concepts that just didn't register to this employee, who he found sleeping a couple of hours into the day. When Lukas tried to explain that his break wasn't for two more hours, the man shrugged him off, explaining "I'm tired now."
Lukas says that maybe 1% of islanders have a job. They have everything they care for: land, vegetables, coconuts, fruit, fish, simple houses. They spend their time gathering and cooking food, drying coconut, playing with their kids, and the men spend their evenings sitting in a circle chatting and drinking Kava, a mildly narcotic drink made from the roots of a Kava bush. It's kind of like coffee, only it puts you to sleep instead of waking you up.
On our third day in Fiji, we walked the beach, and came across an elderly villager and her granddaughter fishing in the bay. Their fishing gear consisted of a hook and fishing line wound around a plastic coke bottle, with which she was able to catch several small fish. As we walked by, she called out to us and invited us to her village to see her home. After showing us her modest two room home, her well, and her chickens, she picked some lemons for us and we said goodbye.
Steph and I kept finding ourselves returning to discussions on the contrasts of our lifestyles and how does one define poverty. I am certain that the villagers don't feel impoverished, and they could certainly produce more and attain more wealth if they chose to, given the abundant natural resources on the islands and the fact that 85% of the land is owned by the locals. We eventually concluded that we prefer our American lifestyle, although it is not hard to appreciate the much simpler lifestyle of the islanders.
That evening at dinner we enjoyed music from local musicians, and I shared many shells of Kava with them. It was a beautiful evening listening to a mix of Fijian songs and Eric Clapton.
On our last full day, we went fishing in the bay. We did not have any plastic coke bottles on hand, so we had to use fishing rods, and we were unable to catch anything. We suspect the water was too warm, and we probably should have gone outside the bay for the big stuff, but we weren't in the mood for motion sickness on our last day, so we settled for a sea cruise. All was not lost however! As we started to make our way back, Steph and I noticed a large plume of spray in the distance, that looked remarkably similar to the spouts from whales we had seen last year in Hawaii. Lukas assured us that there were no whales in Savusavu bay. But he was excited to get the lines back in the water after seeing birds circling where Steph and I saw the plume of spray, along with several small fish jumping out of the water. Those are tell tale signs of bigger game fish below. So we trolled around for a couple of minutes, until we saw those big fish breach, at which point we quickly got the lines out of the water, as they were, in fact, whales! So the empty fishing expedition turned into whale watching, followed by a drenched ride back home through a squall.
Our last evening we enjoyed green lobsters for dinner and chatting the night away with Inisa, who kept reminding us to bring our kids next time, as she continually referred to Steph as "Mackenzie's mom".
We will miss Fiji greatly, and are so thankful for the experience. We got much more that we expected from our trip, and have a great appreciation for this very different culture. We hope to return some day!
Images from Fiji:
Views...
Food...
People...
Sunsets ...
Our extensive research and deliberation led us to a private resort on the island of Vanua Levu, called "Emaho Sekawa". The resort, which aptly describes itself as "unique in Fiji, unique in the world" caters to one lucky couple or family at a time. Set on the hillside above a private beach, surrounded by acres of lush tropical rainforest, and proffering breathtaking views in all directions, Emaho Sekawa was the perfect place to unplug from our busy lives for a few days and get to know a unique culture and environment.
Upon our arrival, via the largest and smallest airplanes either of us have ever flown on, we were warmly greeted by our hosts Petra and Lukas, and their excellent staff, comprised of Fijians from the surrounding villages. Our stay began with a welcome song in Fijian, banana leaf leis, and fresh coconut juice for Steph and champagne for myself.
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| Double decker 747 from LA to Nadi |
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| Twin Otter from Nadi to Savusavu |
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| The ultra modern Savusavu Airport |
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| Banana leaf lei greeting |
Our amenities included a beautiful villa, with open air living and dining areas, an outdoor "day bed" adjacent to a small plunge pool, a beautiful wrap around deck with an outdoor shower, and a self contained master bedroom. Above the villa was a dining pavilion, in traditional Fijian "bure" style, with a separate bar, and a large lawn area for dining under the stars.
 |
| "Bure" dining pavilion |
Our first evening we ate outside by the pavilion, and we discovered the perfect conditions for good star gazing: go to an undeveloped island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a moonless, cloudless night... and have the power go out. With not a single light on within 50 miles and nary a cloud in the sky, we saw some stars! Venus was unbelievably bright, and as the night wore on, we watched it dip toward the horizon, and start to change colors, at which point it occurred to us that we were watching "Venus set". Unlike sunsets or moonsets, Venus sets very quickly, and we had fun guessing when it was going to suddenly disappear... saying over and over "there it goes!" during the 20 seconds or so that it took to vanish.
 |
| Inisa... our friendly source of local information |
For our first daytime activity, Lukas took us kayaking on the nearby river into the rainforest. Steph and I shared the work equally: I did the paddling, she did the picture taking. Teamwork! Our surroundings were incredibly peaceful, as we paddled along the beach to the mouth of the river, up river, and eventually into the little tributaries under the canopy of the rainforest. The only sounds were the birds and the occasional coconut or fruit falling into the water. Over the course of about 4 hours, the only other beings we saw were a couple of cows that had wandered down to the river's edge for a drink. At this point it dawned on us just how incredibly unspoiled this island was. We were literally the only tourists we saw our entire stay on the island. The only other westerners we saw were the yachties at the marina in Savusavu.
 |
| Structure used for building fires to dry coconuts. These were ubiquitous throughout the island |
After our hard work in the kayak, we had massages in the villa while the heavens opened up and dropped torrential rain for hours on end. Not a problem, as we were ready to just relax and dine in the villa. Overnight the clouds rained themselves out, and we awoke to sunny skies, ready for our next excursion... Sand Island.
After months of careful politicking, Lukas was able to persuade the local chief (yes, Fiji is to this day run by a hierarchy of native chiefs who earn their position by birthright... ) to give access to a tiny island known as Sand Island. His guests are the only people allowed on the island, and as such it is virtually untouched by people, to the extent that we found it inhabited by seabirds, who laid their eggs out in the open, completely unprotected. They were a nervous wreck when we showed up!
We snorkeled Sand Island for an hour or so, seeing a couple of sea turtles in addition to the usual assortment of tropical fish. Lukas found a really cool conch, which is apparently pretty rare in Fiji. After a picnic lunch, we jumped back in the boat and raced the thunderstorms home.
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| Hot springs, used by villagers to boil their vegetables |
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| "downtown" Savusavu |
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| Sign at entrance of vegetable market; nice to see they are enforcing standards |
Lukas says that maybe 1% of islanders have a job. They have everything they care for: land, vegetables, coconuts, fruit, fish, simple houses. They spend their time gathering and cooking food, drying coconut, playing with their kids, and the men spend their evenings sitting in a circle chatting and drinking Kava, a mildly narcotic drink made from the roots of a Kava bush. It's kind of like coffee, only it puts you to sleep instead of waking you up.
On our third day in Fiji, we walked the beach, and came across an elderly villager and her granddaughter fishing in the bay. Their fishing gear consisted of a hook and fishing line wound around a plastic coke bottle, with which she was able to catch several small fish. As we walked by, she called out to us and invited us to her village to see her home. After showing us her modest two room home, her well, and her chickens, she picked some lemons for us and we said goodbye.
 |
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| Villager picks a flower for Steph's ear |
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| Her chickens... |
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| Her home |
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| Picking lemons for us! |
That evening at dinner we enjoyed music from local musicians, and I shared many shells of Kava with them. It was a beautiful evening listening to a mix of Fijian songs and Eric Clapton.
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| Kava time! We learned that "low tide" means half a shell of Kava, "high tide" means full shell, please |
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| Major squall... which we got to ride through to get home! |
Our last evening we enjoyed green lobsters for dinner and chatting the night away with Inisa, who kept reminding us to bring our kids next time, as she continually referred to Steph as "Mackenzie's mom".
We will miss Fiji greatly, and are so thankful for the experience. We got much more that we expected from our trip, and have a great appreciation for this very different culture. We hope to return some day!
Images from Fiji:
Views...
Food...
People...
Sunsets ...
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