It’s always fun when Grandpa Visits Seattle

When I finished college in 1994 and moved to Seattle for my first (or 2nd) real job, I didn’t plan on staying. I figured I’d gain a few years of experience, contact old friends back in Utah and eventually move back to Salt Lake City.

Other than a year stint in St. George, I’ve remained in the Seattle area going on 13 years and I couldn’t be happier. I enjoy living close to a big city and all the attractions that comes with it such as sporting events, concerts, diversity of culture and arts. Occasionally I miss the snow we had in Utah, but I don’t mind the mild temperatures of Seattle and I enjoy the rain.

But one thing we miss by living in Seattle is the proximity of family. Kim’s family all live in St. George, Utah with the exception of her brother who lives 90 minute north of us. My entire family lives in northern Utah so we’re lucky to see them once or twice a year. As our family has grown, it’s become more difficult to plan trips that revolve around seeing every family member. We see our parents a couple of times a year but our siblings don’t make the effort to come up this direction which means we don’t see them much.

This past weekend has been a treat having my father in town for a few days. We blessed our baby, Kai David Nordquist, in church today and my dad made the trip up for that special event. We gave Kai his middle named after my father. We took in a UW Husky basketball game yesterday and watched the Giants pull a major upset of the Patriots tonight. Basically, we hung out and talked about sports, family, church and technology.

Our kids love to see their grandfather. The pull his arms, hug his legs and generally maul him every waking minute of the day. He’s such a good sport with them. No wonder they can’t wait till he arrives and cry when he leaves. Kim’s parents are also fantastic with our kids. Grandparents have a unique way of making the kids feel special. I wish they could see them more than a few times each year.

Technorati Tags: Parents, Grandparents, Vacation

Nothing to Do

Growing up in Ogden, Utah a family vacation consisted of loading the five of us kids into a “champagne colored” station wagon and driving three hours south to a tiny town called Gunnison to visit our cousins. If we were lucky, dad would let us listen to the pop station on the radio. If we acted up, he’d flip it to the oldies station.

But the choice of station didn’t really matter because the broadcast signal wasn’t strong enough to last more than about an hour into the trip. It wasn’t long before Blondie turned to buzzzzzz.

When I wasn’t pestering my sisters, I’d read books, pepper my parents with questions or play games like “Slug Bug” where the goal was to be the first to spot a VW Beatle. I remember several times my dad would be driving up a hill and we’d egg him on to “floor it” coming down. Sometimes we could get him to push the wagon to 75 or even 80 MPH before my mom had had enough and would make him back off the gas. Even as a kid, it just felt cool to break the law. Cue the Clash.

I don’t ever recall a time where there wasn’t something to do, some game to play or some sister to tease. We didn’t have Nintendo or DVD players or iPods. We made up games, sang goofy songs or stared ahead at the scenery while our AC Delco pumped out the tunes.

Things are different today. Now we take vacation drives in a comfortable 7 passenger Honda Odyssey with AC controls three rows deep. Our three oldest kids each have a Nintendo DS and dozens of games to choose from. We have a portable DVD player, kids books, coloring books and sippy cups up the wazoo. We have “travel kits”, and blankets, and pillows and kids CDs. We have more items in the car geared toward kids than what I had in OUR HOME growing up.

One would assume our kids would never get bored, even on the longest trips, given the abundance of stuff they have at their disposal. One would think.

On the drive home from Seattle last week, our five year old son, said, “There’s nothing to do. What can I do?”. He says this surrounded while surrounded by every version of Donkey Kong, Mario and Zelda available for his DS.

This experienced has made me wonder if all this stuff just gets in the way of our kid’s creativity. Maybe the kids get used to all this sensory input in the form of movies and games, and they don’t think of making up games on the fly like we did as kids. My sisters and I may have asked my dad how long till we arrived at our destination but I can’t recall ever telling him we had nothing to do. There was always something to do back then. We just had to USE OUR MINDS.

Maybe the problems isn’t that our kids have nothing to do. Maybe the problem is they have TOO MUCH to do.

Technorati Tags: Kids, vacation, station wagon

Three Different Styles

Since baby Kai arrived my sleep schedule seems to change on a nightly basis. I get up at 5:45 am each morning to catch my vanpool into Redmond at 6:30 am. If Kai gets up before I need to, I’ll sometimes sneak downstairs and sleep on the couch. Elka will usually follow me down to keep my feet warm as she lounges at the end of the couch. Don’t tell Kim.

If the kids get up early, they will come downstairs to watch cartoons just like I did at their age.

The three oldest kids each have different ways of approaching a sleeping dad since they need my help to turn on the TV and receiver. Here’s where each little personality comes out in spades.

Luca will quietly make her way down the stairs, grab both both remotes, turn on the TV and then kindly ask me to turn on the receiver. She will then snuggle up in two or more blankets on the smaller couch.

Lincoln will sneak down the stairs like a leopard, careful not to make a sound. He’ll wander around in a daze for a bit before stumbling upon the remotes. He’ll sit on the couch quietly until I awake and then ask for my help. He’ll push out the couch cushions so he can hide behind them which he listens to cartoons.

And then there’s Anna Lynn. She’ll wake up and run as fast as she can down the stairs. I don’t know how a 3-year old can replicate the sound of herding elephants but she can. She’ll dash across the room until she’s close enough to perform a cannon-ball type dive onto my stomach ensuring I won’t be getting more sleep. She doesn’t care about the TV or remotes. I’ll wake up, look at her smiling face and she’ll say, “I am awake, dad!!!” like it was a surprise.

As much as I cherish my sleep, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Technorati Tags: Kids, Cartoons

Christmas Eve

I just spent the better part of two hours putting together a pirate ship. It’s not just your run of the mill pirate ship either. It’s a ship that stands about 3 1/3 feet off the ground with telescope, pirate flag, canons and sound effects. The most difficult part of assembly was putting the ship together in our basement under very little light. The screws were tiny and I kept dropping them all over the couch and floor. I’m getting old or something.

But I eventually got the flag hung and the cannon balls loaded for Lincoln to discover tomorrow. Kim keeps asking me if I’ve hidden the large box that it came in and I told her that we’ll tell the kids that Santa also does his Christmas shopping at Costco when the need arises.

Christmas is especially fun with kids. As Kim rocked baby Kai, I told Luca, Lincoln and Anna the Christmas story as tried to keep their little hands off the presents under the tree. We then let them each open a present that turned out to be a new sleeping bag. I’ve never seen them so excited to go to bed. I just checked on them and they are scattered around the floor in their new sleeping bags. They look like a litter of new puppies.

We don’t have family close by so our Christmas days are usually low key. We’ll open presents in a couple of hours and then cook a nice breakfast for the kids. Maybe we’ll see a movie or go to lunch together.

It’s been a fun last few days. I’m looking forward to spending time with the family this week.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Pirate Ship

Taking a break

I need a break. Christmas can’t come soon enough so I can catch up on my sleep and get excited about work again. I feel like I’ve been moving in slow-motion since baby Kai arrived. I’d forgotten how baby’s can wreak havoc on one’s normal routine.

I’ve had time to blog I just haven’t had interest lately. I’ve been sending thoughts to Twitter, but not as much as I was.

I wish all companies were as generous as Microsoft and gave father’s a month off for paternity leave. My employer doesn’t give any time off which forces me to take vacation. That just sucks.

Other than our baby being born, one of the best things I’ve done lately is see Luca play two Christmas songs at her recital last week. She’s gained so much confidence since taking piano and we couldn’t be more proud of her.

Things will improve. Sleep will come. And the kids will make us laugh.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Work, Paternity leave, Twitter

A Diaper Bag even dads will carry

Although we have four kids now, we’ve never invested in a very good diaper bag. When Luca was born we bought a light blue bag from Lands End that was too small and looked more a 2nd grader’s lunch box. All it needed was the Dora the Explorer decals.

When Anna came along we picked up a red bag that was still too small but was better quality than the blue one. We carried it everywhere until it fell apart last year.

So when Kai was born we started looking around for another bag. Kim wanted a bigger model that would hold her purse along with all the baby supplies. She also wanted a waterproof interior, a few pockets and zipper up top instead of snaps or magnets.

My one requirement was that the new bag wouldn’t make me look like a total doofus when I carried it around. I asked around on Twitter and received a number of excellent recommendations. Many people told me to just buy a backpack or gym bag. Those would probably work just fine but I doubt Kim would want to carry either around.

Kim has a couple nice Coach bags and I love my Tumi bag, but neither made a bag like we envisioned. Years ago when I drove a Xootr scooter around Seattle, I bought a messenger bag from Timbuk2 that I still have today. It’s held up very well and still looks stylish. I decided to check out their website to see if they had a decent sized tote bag that might work. Sure enough, they had several models that seemed to fit the bill. I couldn’t decided between the Cargo Tote and the Original Cargo Tote.

I checked out a number of reviews online and came across many examples of people using the Timbuk2 Cargo Totes as diaper bags, so I decided to order one of the “Original Cargo Totes” today. I went with it over the Cargo Tote because it has a “ballistic boot bottom” which means it should hold up well when it’s packed to the brim.

It should arrive next week. I’ll write up a review after I’ve used it for a few weeks.

Technorati Tags: Timbuk2, Diaper Bag, Tumi, Xootr, Coach

Kai David Nordquist arrives

He took his time but he finally arrived tonight around 8 pm weighing 8 lbs. 14 oz. Kim is tired after being in labor for 12 hours but she’s doing really well tonight. The first thing she asked me to do after the baby was born was to get her some good food as hadn’t eaten in over 20 hours. So I grabbed her a taco salad and Wendy’s frosty which improved her disposition a great deal. Yep, that was my contribution of the day.

Kai arrived tossing his arms and legs as if he couldn’t wait to stretch that little body of his. He cried and cried until the nurse placed him next to mom’s warm chest. He then settled down and went to sleep. He must have been worn out from the day’s adventure.

I don’t know how mom’s do it. I’m exhausted and I didn’t do a thing except try to provide encouragement when none was really needed. Our first three children arrived with minimal drama. It felt routine even. We experienced a few more complications leading up the delivery with Kai but we couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out. The doctors and nurses were fantastic. The smaller Auburn Hospital felt more cozy and less hectic than Overlake Hospital where our first three children were born.

All in all, it was an amazing and magical day. Once the nurse wrapped Kai up like a burrito I got to hold him in my arms and rock him to sleep. His skin, his eyes, his lips…everything is just so soft and perfect. Although this is the fourth child, the experience and the feelings are still so spiritual and breathtaking. One minute we are a family of five and hours later we’ve added another son to the mix. I can’t wait for Luca, Lincoln and Anna to see their new brother.

I’m still trying to catch my breath and count my blessings. Welcome to our family, Kai!

Update: Kai is the name of a good friend I met when I lived in Germany and David is my father’s first name.

Pancake Cutting

This morning Kim and I were both slow to get moving. The kids had downed a pudding. Or two. They were clamoring for something else to eat so I went into the kitchen to warm up some pancakes that Kim had made earlier.

The pancakes are pretty much the same size. But not to the kids. Luca is certain that the pancake Lincoln grabbed is larger than hers. And Anna is going crazy because her pancake is smaller than Luca’s. It’s a cycle that has no end. This is usually how it goes when I foolishly think the kids can fairly divvy out the pancakes.

So this morning I decided to bring playground rules to the kitchen. I set the pancakes on a plate in the middle of the table. I then had Luca, Lincoln and Anna sit around the table, close enough to reach the plate but not close enough to snag a pancake off a siblings plate.

I started with Lincoln who chose the first pancake. Then Anna and then Luca. I then let Luca go first till the plate was empty. Things went better than I anticipated and everyone seemed happy.

As I pulled out the syrup Lincoln said, “Dad, you forgot to cut our pancakes”. So I started cutting his pancakes into smaller pieces until I was finished. I poured maple syrup over them when Lincoln looked at her plate and said, “Hey, NOT FAIR….my pancake is now smaller than Luca’s!”

These leaves won’t leave me alone

I don’t know how many leaves have fallen off our tree in the backyard, but it seems like 20 million. I’m sure it’s at least that many because every time I look outside I catch another hundred or so falling ever so gently towards my newly raked grass.

Last year I decided to wait until all the leaves were off the tree before I started raking. There are a couple of problems with that strategy:

Lots of leaves = dead grass
It rains in Seattle. A lot

It was well into November of last year before I started raking. I was stunned when I realized we’d filled 18 bags full of soppy wet leaves.

So this year I figured I’d take the same approach I do with email: handle things as they come in in order to avoid an overwhelming amount all at once. Three weeks ago I was happy to get two large garbage cans full of leaves off the ground. The next week it took two more garbage cans. Ditto for this past week. I coaxed my kids into helping me by turning them into”leaf smashers”. When the leaves would fill the can, I’d hold one over it while their little legs pushed the leaves downward, making room for more.

I feel like the leaf Gods are teasing me as they drop just enough to keep me busy but not enough that I feel like I’m making any progress.

Today I looked outside and, for the first time, I wasn’t stressed out as I watched the many leaves fall from our tree. I just sat there and enjoyed it. I opened the screen door and listened as they landed on top of each other. Sometimes a small gust of wind would blow a handful into our neighbors yard (YES!) but most settled not far from the tree.

If it doesn’t rain over the next couple of days, I’m going to rake the leaves into a huge pile. Then I’ll call the kids over so they can jump in them. If I can’t beat them, I might as well join them.

What happens when parents blog?

A few months ago I began encouraging my mother-in-law and my father to blog. Both are great writers and have interesting experiences that I felt would make for good blogs. Although it’s been a slow process I finally convinced them both by offering to setup their blogs on WordPress off my domain.

My father lives 900 miles away and my mother in law about 1200. I see them maybe twice a year. We instant message and have the occasional phone conversation. But there is something personal about their blogs that I’m not able to experience through other means of communication. I’ve learned surprising things about both of them. I feel as though I’ve been given a secret door into their lives that I didn’t know existed till now.

I hope both will continue to write so that my kids will have that record to look back on. My grandmother moved into a care center last week which my father blogged about. I’ve thought about how much better I would know my grandma had blogs been around in her day. Sure, I spent a lot of time at her house in my younger years, but I’m certain I would have learned a lot more had I been given the same insight into her life that I’m now getting with my father and mother-in-law.

–Link to Dave Nordquist’s Blog

–Link to Edna Henke’s Blog