Kindergarten Field Day

Andrew's school has Field Day on the last day of school - his last day of Kindergarten. When I was in Elementary school, I remember field day being my favorite day of the year. I still remember competing with Carlos Newman in the long jump. Good times! It's great to see the tradition carried on, and Andrew had a great time.

Happy 3rd birthday Elizabeth!

Elizabeth became 3 years old on April 15. I'm just now getting around to posting some photos. We celebrated at the kids' perennial favorite, Chuck E Cheese (not such a favorite for the over-10 crowd).

Opening presents the morning of her birthday

Showing off her gift of a princess outfit

Liz and Andrew with the annoyingly musical, robotic Chuck E Cheese

Dena, Andrew, Ron, Jan, Jason, Emerson, Amy and Liz enjoy B-day cake

Three Cousins

My sister Lynette, her husband Jeff and 7-month old Trevyn visited us for dinner last night. Andrew and Elizabeth had fun with their little cousin!

Snowboarding whiplash

Beaver Creek got 6 inches of great snow on their last day of the season last week, and I borrowed a friend's snowboard and went riding - for the 2nd time in my life. I hit it hard, starting with an ungroomed blue slope. Needless to say, I fell a few times and discovered how painful snowboard falls can be. With both feet strapped together, you just can't recover like you can on 2 skis. On a groomed blue slope I got a lot of speed going and caught my back edge and fell backward so hard I completely flipped over. If I hadn't had a helmet, I'm convinced I would have gotten a concussion. It's a week and a half later now and I'm still sore - in fact I had to visit the chiropractor and he suspects I have whiplash. Looks like I'd better get some practice in before I try for speed again. I hope to get some days in at A-Basin this Spring and do just that!

Backcountry Bust

I had grand backcountry plans for today. I met my brother Erik at his house in Breckenridge bright and early so we could hike up Peak 10 and ski down 4th of July bowl - an opportunity to put my avalanche gear to use for the first time in years. We geared up and rode the Falcon Express lift to the top of peak 10 and encountered howling winds and white-out conditions. On top of the questionable avalanche danger, it was miserable, so we nixed those plans and instead drove across the valley to Baldy Mountain. We hiked a few miles to a spot where the wind was tolerable, but unfortunately the snow was not. Terrible, wind-packed slab, a.k.a crap. At least it was some good high-altitude exercise, I suppose.

The good news is, I got a snowboard for the price of a 12-pack. I've been wanting to learn to board 'cause I'm convinced it will be more fun in the powder, and Erik is going to let me use his old board and boots to learn to be a knuckle-dragger. I gave him a 6-pack and his buddies in the ski shop a 6-pack in return for a full tune-up. Not a bad deal!

Kindergarten math?

I'm sure I wasn't doing 4-digit addition in Kindergarten, but amazingly, Andrew is. We've been really impressed by the education he's getting at Free Horizon Montessori School, which is a public charter school in Jefferson county. Here are a few of the math problem's he's solved recently.

9222
+ 2999
= 12221

8464
+ 4648
= 13112

Not bad for a 5 year old!

Spring skiing at Breck

Amy and I took the kids to Breckenridge on Saturday for some early Spring conditions. The snow was icy in the morning and slushy by about 11:00, with a temperature of about 50 degrees F.

Andrew insisted on skiing through the terrain park on his first run.


Elizabeth went a little way all by herself - without anyone holding her harness.



We enjoyed a nice lunch outside at Peak 8!

Elizabeth's 2-year adoption anniversary

On Friday we celebrated 2 years with Elizabeth as part of our family. On March 6, 2007 we first held Elizabeth in an office building in Nanchang, China. Here is my blog post from that day. We celebrated as a family yesterday by going skiing and then giving the kids a treat for dinner (McDonalds), followed by some games at home. A great day!

Here is a photo of Elizabeth getting ready to ski.

Can I reach my maximum heart rate?

I have a heart rate monitor that I use mostly when I'm in a spin class. I've tried wearing it running, but all the upper body movement causes it to slip loose and give crazy readings like 122%. That did get me thinking, though - could I hit 100% of my theoretical maximum heart rate of 183 beats per minute? (Calculated as 220 minus your age in years) At spin class this morning, I tried pushing it and could only get to 96%. I've been able to reach 97% in the past, but I think it gets harder as I get in better shape because now I find my heart rate is lower for the same perceived exertion level.

I'm gonna keep trying. Hopefully my heart won't explode.

Running uphill

The February edition of Trail Runner magazine has some great tips on good form for running uphill.

• Posture: Don't bend at the waist; keep your body in a straight line. Keep hips forward and imagine a string pulling your chest forward. This efficient posture allows you to "fall" up the hill.
  
• Use short strides and quick steps. Three steps per second. Like granny gear on your bike.
• Ball first, heel second. Land on the ball of your foot, then lightly touch down your heel.
• Swing your arms. Provides vertical propulsion and forward force.
• On steep inclines, turn your feet to 10 o'clock in a sidestep motion. This can engage your core muscles more to keep your legs from getting exhausted.

And a training tip: train on a treadmill with a steep incline. This way you can avoid the damaging downhills.

Running and Reading - the Key to Life

Have you ever wondered what the key to life is? Could it really be as simple as running and reading? Maybe that's a bit of an oversimplification, but there's a lot of truth in what Will Smith says in this video. If you learn how to keep running when that little voice inside tells you to quit, "you will learn how to not quit when things get hard in your life".

A for reading? "There's no problem you can have that someone hasn't already solved and wrote about it in a book."

Another gem: "The person that works the hardest wins."

The Yeti beard

For no particular reason, I've let my beard grow for the past month. This is a fuzzy picture taken from my phone, showing what I look like after skiing in knee deep powder and falling into the fluffy stuff a few times.

So what's your vote on the beard? Should it stay or should it go?

Markers are NOT makeup

This is what happens when 2-year-old Elizabeth decided to use a marker (non-toxic and washable, thank goodness) as makeup.

14 kids is ridiculous

Pardon me if I'm not jumping for joy at the "miracle" of the octuplets. A 33-year old woman who lives with her parents who have a history of finacial problems, and already has 6 children ages 2-7, gets fertility treatment and has 8 more children. Fourteen kids who are bound to end up on public support. And who paid for her fertility treatment? This is not a miracle of science to celebrate. This is insane.

The Holidome

Ah, the Holidome experience. I remember as a kid thinking that the Holiday Inn Holidome was probably as good as it gets. They have a pool, hot tub, video games and plenty of room to run around, all in a cavernous building right outside your hotel room door. Who cares where your parents are dragging you in the avodado green Gran Torino station wagon? It could be Swamp Flats, Arkansas, for all I cared. As long as we stayed at the Holidome, I was happy.

Oh how things have changed. I had the, uh, opportunity, to relive those childhood memories this weekend. Amy cashed in some credit card points to earn us a free Saturday night stay at the Holiday Inn in Frisco, so we could get 2 days of skiing with the kids without an extra round trip in I-70 traffic. Between my grown-up standards and the 20-some years of wear and tear the Holidome has suffered, the Holidome magic is gone for me. Forever, I'm afraid. Sob. Considering the abundance of tattooed, Budweiser-swilling hot tub soakers and folks lounging in the game area, I think it would be fair to call it the "Hooligan Dome" these days. Thank goodness we didn't get one of the room adjoining the Hooligan Dome, where we would have had to listen to the racket til 11 pm. Unfortunately, though, all the non-smoking rooms were booked, so we got stuck in a room permeated with the foul odor of stale cigarette smoke.

Nevertheless, the kids had a great time in the pool and playing air hockey the next morning while the hooligans slept off their hangovers. I'm sure from now on they'll ask if we can stay at the hotel with the pool when we go skiing.

Andrew's first black ski run

We went skiing over the weekend and Andrew bagged his first ever blue and black runs on the same day. On Friday at Vail, he skied the blue run Avanti, and just before lunch at mid-Vail, the whole family went down Look Ma - a black run! I held Elizabeth with her ski harness, and that fearless girl loved the bumps. Amy helped Andrew down part of the run, but then he insisted on skiing the bottom half by himself, slowly snowplowing between the bumps. Now "Look ma" isn't a tough black run, but it's a black run nevertheless.

Kauai trip recap

Here are some photos and a summary of our trip to Kauai with the kids and my parents, Dean and Linda.

I already wrote about our first 3 days in a previous post.

Friday Dec. 5

A few minute walk from our condo gets us to Poipu beach, where we do some snorkeling and the kids played in the sand. Some endangered monk seals spend their days sleeping on the beach here, and locals rope off an area of beach around them so they can rest without being bothered by people.

The sheltered swim area at Poipu beach (above) is great for kids.

Dean enjoys a crossword puzzle and the feral chickens while the rest of us play in on the beach.

A monk seal naps on the beach.

Saturday Dec. 6
I got in a coastline run before sunrise. Then we packed everyone into our 2 rental cars and headed to the north side. We spent the afternoon at Hanalei beach, shown below.

Sunday December 7 - a lazy day.

Monday December 8
I twisted my back at the tide pools at shipwreck beach in front of Hyatt. Waimea Canyon, which wreaked havoc with our scuba diving plans over the next 3 days. At any rate, we spent Monday at Waimea canyon, a 10 mile long, 3000 foot deep canyon. Quite impressive. The photos below don't really do it justice. My mom & dad went to Beach House for a fancy dinner while Amy and I entertained the kids at the condo.
Amy and Elizabeth at the top of Kalalau valley.
Tuesday December 9
Mom & dad took a helicopter tour and had the front seats. Amy and I did that last time we were here so we saved our $400 for other things, like the chiropractor I unfortunately had to visit while Amy & the kids played at shipwreck beach and made a sandcastle. Andrew collected shells and coral bits.

Shipwreck beach at sunrise

Andrew and Elizabeth in front of their sand castle.

Wednesday December 10
Amy, Linda and kids rode the train at Kilohana Plantation. Dean and I went to Poipu beach to snorkel, but dad couldn't get the hang of breathing through the snorkel and didn't like the choppy surf, so I went out briefly by myself. Amy and Linda went to botanical gardens and picked some amazing star fruit while dad and I played with the kids at the pool. Amy snorkeled at Lawai beach - best snorkelling yet, and I missed it. This was the end of the good weather - overnight and into Thursday morning we got a downpour of about 4 inches of rain.

Thursday December 11
Amy and I tried to snorkel at Lawai again after 4 inches of overnight rain and gale force winds. After 2 minutes in the water, Amy says "I can't see s**t". She was right. We gave up. Next we took the kids to Wailua falls (below) and Opaeka'a falls, not to mention their favorite spot on the island, Lydgate park, which has an amazing "play bridge"; an elaborate structure and maze with a big bridge. Mom & dad toured the coffee plantation while we were out with the kids, and we enjoyed a nice weather day in between storms. We decided to cook our own fresh fish dinner again tonight - this time grilled swordfish, wild rice and an excellent stir fry. Yummy.

My back got 90% better after diving into pool after dinner. No idea why that would fix it. Andrew is diving - head first - into the pool now, without goggles! To celebrate my ability to once again move without terrible pain, Amy and I went to the Stevenson's Library bar at the nearby swanky Grand Hyatt where I enjoyed a $16 organic margarita and $8 beer from a can. At least we got in 2 games of pool and enjoyed the live jazz band for no extra charge.

Wailua Falls (above)

Andrew dives!

Friday December 12
More rain fell overnight, but this morning we had a few hours of respite with just a few sprinkles, so we took the kids on a hike along the coastal cliffs (below). Andrew insisted on going back this afternoon to his favorite spot - the play bridge - despite the rain. Amy and I each bought $30 used wet suits, which I promptly used during my surf lesson in the rain. We had our hearts set on pizza for dinner, and checked reviews on the internet, our guide book, and by asking the locals before finally choosing Brick Oven Pizza in nearby Kalaheo town (a 15 minute drive). It was worth it. Great pizza, but pretty pricy, like most things on the island.

Hiking the south coast of Kauai

Saturday December 13

Our last day on Kauai was wet. I started the day with a run in pouring rain and wind, which was a refreshing change from the cold rain in Colorado. The rain slowed long enough for a brief walk in the tide pools again where Amy spotted a very cool sea snake slithering around in a little pool. I convinced Andrew that the rain didn't matter if you're in the pool, so enjoyed so more father-son bonding time while Elizabeth napped and I watched him repeatedly dive in to the pool. Hopefully our flight home will be on time - if so, we'll arrive at 6 am Denver time, just when the kids should be waking up.

Surfing in the rain

Since I last reported on our lazy Sunday in Kauai, things have been interesting. I arrived in Kauai last week fighting a cold, and since that means trouble clearing my ears, it meant waiting to arrange a scuba diving trip. That quickly cleared up thanks to the warm, humid climate but then on Monday morning, I threw out my back. I wish I had a great story to tell about how I did it, but I think I'm just getting old. What a drag it is getting old. I just leaned over a bit and something in lower back went completely haywire and I spent the next 3 and half days in pain, even visiting a chiropractor, until it miraculously healed itself upon diving into the pool on Thursday night.

The real bummer is that we had fantastic weather while I was in agony with back pain, but Wednesday night the island got 4 inches of rain and it hasn't really stopped raining since then. All the rivers blew out with mud and debris, and the wind tossed up huge waves. That nixed our dive plans. Amy was even more disappointed than I was.

So today I settled for a surfing lesson - in the pouring rain. I called a few people and no one was doing surf lessons in these conditions, so we packed the kids in the car to drive to the awesome playground at Lydgate beach/park (yes, also in the rain). Surfing must have been ordained, for this is apparently the one spot on the island today where the water wasn't dangerously murky and polluted. In another sign from the heavens, there was a truck parked at the beach with surf boards strapped to the top and the message "surf lessons 645-1029" painted on the door. I called and got my surf lesson, which renewed my respect for surfing. It's hard as hell to time the wave, paddle, and launch yourself up on the board while placing your feet precisely in the right spot to balance. I managed to ride 4 or 5 easy waves in my hour long lesson. Kudos to my instructor, a Hawaiian native named Lono, for showing me a great time.

Lazy Sunday on the Garden Isle

We spent a lazy day today on the Garden Isle, as Kauai is often called. After breakfast we lounged at the pool and hot tub with the kids. For our most ambitious part of the day, we hauled a couple of boogie boards down to the nearby Brennecke's beach and Amy and I enjoyed waves of up to 4 feet while my mom watched the kids play in the sand. My dad searched fruitlessly for a sports bar that would have the Bronco game on, and then we retired to our condo for lunch and the 49'ers - Jets game. With the 3 hour time difference, the early NFL games come on at 8 am. The kids and I had a nice siesta and then we took a short trip to the store for some supplies - and ice cream. Right now we're cooking our own dinner again - baked whole chicken, wild rice, and salad. Most people would probably eat out every day while on vacation, but I don't mind cooking - especially with the kids, who get restless sitting at a restaurant table.

I love staying at a condo with a fully equiped kitchen, but the one thing hate at every condo I've ever stayed in is dull knives. Drives me nuts. This place is no exception. This afternoon, though, I found a knife sharpener in the drawer and went to town. Now I can slice a tomato without smashing it.

Denver to Kauai

We woke up on Thursday at 3 am. That's right. 3 am. I took a 2 minute shower just to wake up, threw on some clothes, and tossed the luggage in the car. Check flight status: United says our flight at 6 am is on time. It's snowing outside. We grabbed the kids out of bed. Andrew was so excited about going to Hawaii that he was already awake. We strapped him and Liz into their car seats and backed out into the snow, heading to my parents house. Dean and Linda are joining us on our Kauai trip, and we don't want to pay to park 2 cars for 10 days. Yep, we're cheapskates.

We arrived at DIA a little before 5 am, and we're fumbling with the self-check-in kiosks, wondering why it keeps telling us to talk to an attendant. Finally, we give up and follow it's instructions, and learn that our plane has mechanical problems. The 6 am flight is canceled, so we'll be departing at 10:30 instead. 10:30? I got up at frickin' 3 am!!!

At least they gave us each $15 meal vouchers for our trouble I wanted to explain that my hourly rate is much higher than that, but I refrained. Of course the only place open that early is McD's, so we got some coffee and a burrito, hashbrows for the kids, all just appetizers for the big breakfast at Pour La France - whenever it finally opens. You gotta keep the kids entertained, and we figured if we stuffed ourselves now we wouldn't need to pay $10 for crappy airline food. If there was a silver lining to all this, on our new flight from LA to Kauai, Amy and I and the kids had a whole row of 6 seats to ourselves, so we could at least stretch out a bit.

At any rate, we arrived on the garden isle at 6 pm. 5 hours later than planned. Got to our condo in Poi Pu and crashed for the night. Good thing we went to bed early, because the kids woke up at 4 am. If you have kids, then you know that we also, therefore, got up at 4 am. The good thing about getting up at 4 am is you can have a lazy morning and still beat the crowds to the beach. Poi Pu beach state park is a short walk from our condo, and a great spot for the kids, with a breakwater creating a calm area for the kids. Pretty decent snorkelling, to. We spotted banner fish, unicorn fish, trumpet fish, and many others. Humuhumnukunukuapua'a - the Hawaii state fish - a type of trigger fish with pattern so geometric you can't believe it's natural. Oh yeah, and 3 monk seals were snoozing on beach, oblivious to the hordes of gawking tourists.

80 degrees and sunny, with a nice breeze. Perfect temp. Back in Denver we heard the overnight low temp was 5 below zero (F). Brrrrrr. Low temp here was about 75 (above zero). Nice.

Saturday. Up early again. About 5 am today. I went for a shoreline run in the dark while the kids watched TV. After a big breakfast, we headed to the north side. Stopped at some roadside stands to buy some freshly picked grapefruit, bananas, tangerines, and limes. Yummy. Next stop was Hanalei (inspiration for Puff the Magic Dragon, and still crawling with hippies). Bought some fresh fish at the Dolphin fish market. Took our chances with 2 pounds of Walu, which we've never tried before, and were richly rewarded with one of the best fish meals I've ever had, thanks to Dean's grilling skills.

Back to Hanalei. The north shore is famous for surf, especially in the winter, and today we saw why at the mile-long crescent shaped Hanalei beach bay. I'm not a surfer, but after watching dozens of people ride the great waves here today, I think I gotta spend a day and try it my self. At least I got in some body surfing in. I held Andrew's hand for about an hour as we both played in the edge of the surf. He absolutely loved the waves.

Next stop - the pools of Mokolea, some small tide pool and one lava tube perfectly situated so the waves come shooting up out of it. Pretty neat. No one else is around.

After an hour-long drive back around the island while Andrew slept, we enjoyed the grilled walu, along with a stir fry of bok choy, onion, and mushroom, plus Dean's specialty baked potato recipe. A fabulous meal that would have cost $40 per person at a restaurant.

I'm pooped. Time for bed!