Pumpkin carving has started!

We went to Remlinger Farms this weekend, which is awesome fun. It's not much of a farm, but it has rollercoasters and other kids attractions. It was also Leila's first outing, going out into the wild, cold, sunny, crazy world for the first time. She slept through most of it!

Afterwards I picked up 5 pumpkins. One idea I had was to make a small one that was being eaten by a big one. That's what you see above. I also got some fake blood which I will apply when Halloween comes closer for the extra gore effect.

So Watson decides the little pumpkin is his. He was very upset when he saw it being eaten by the "daddy pumpkin". So he takes it out. Now Watson and I have this little war going on - everytime I see the pumpkin, I put the little one back into the mouth of the big one, Watson pulls it right back out when he sees it.

Watson said...

Watson:"papa, komm mit mir."
me:"aber ich habe doch leila." - i was holding her
watson:"ich will dass du tust den da ins bett damit ich dir was zeigen kann."

Watson said...

At the hospital to pick up Melissa and the baby. Watson jumping around. I ask him if he wants to hold the baby, he says 'YES.'
He holds the baby for a few seconds, then says:
"My life has totally changed now that I have a baby."

Leila Nixie Gerhard born!

Today, on a beautiful sunny day in Seattle, at 6:26pm, Leila Nixie Gerhard was born. It was pretty straightforward, not like we don't have experience!

I made an elaborate music playlist, but what a coincidence, she was born to "Uncle John's Band" by the Grateful Dead just like Milo!

Melissa feels great and I am hungry since I didn't have breakfast and have only had vegetable crudite for lunch. I know it's selfish but worth pointing out.

Melissa before birth. Check out the belly, it was pretty big at this point, and ready to pop out the baby.

Leila Nixie at about 5 seconds of age. I cut the chord, of course. Yes the head looks funny. but so would yours if you were squished through a 10cm opening.

Quite the chunker at 8 lbs, 12 ounces, or in real units nearly 4kg.

Melissa with the baby! She looks remarkably like Melissa already!


Much less remarkably me with the baby.

Now we're going to order off the hospital menu and maybe get a glass of wine.

Oh, below a video of her at 30 seconds. I am trying this video thing for the first time, let's see if it works!

First Day of School

First day of school! Milo is in 3rd grade, Watson is in Kindergarten! In the US, Kindergarden is treated like real school - kids have to attend, and it goes all day (from 9:30 - 15:25). They learn reading and writing and stuff so I was really surprised to see that with my German background. Why don't they just call it first grade? Beats me.

Watson sitting at his new desk. The teacher had prepared everything nicely, playdo was ready for crafts, and classical music was playing. Very different from my experience some 30 years ago!

On our way walking to school. Watson was very excited!
Just outside our house. Milo all cool and jaded, Watson excited for the new.
I don't think Watson realizes that this is the first step into the industrialization machine. From this step on, it's studying, learning, competing, working. Childhood is almost over!

Milo said...

Milo and Watson were in the back of the car, we were on our way to a BBQ with friends.

Watson:"I wonder what it's like to be a girl."

Milo:"I don't know. Who knows what girls like."

Milo:"But I know what it's like to be a boy. It's great."

Watson (all excited):"Yeah it's great to be a boy, it's so much fun!"

Papa:"Aber was ist so toll daran, ein Junge zu sein?"

Milo:"Man kann ueber viele Sachen nachdenken, wie man sachen invented und wie alles funktioniert."

Wild Waves

It's that time of the year we can't miss. The middle of summer, hot, hot, hot out. This was the first time I went along with Milo and Watson so Melissa could rest at home. Boy did they love it! Here's a pic of Watson on the airplanes (that I am sure he won't like anymore next year) while Milo was on the big Timberhawk.

This is one of those rides where you can do the steering yourself to go up and down sloooowly. Of course the instructions for this age group point out that you can move the rudder slowly, and don't yank it back and forth like a mad man.

Milo is so old now that he can go on rides by himself! It was great to see that we're finally reaching that point.

We probably did the waves pool 11 times. We went on all the speed slides, though black hole is still the only one I go on.

Watson was very excited to watch us splash the water all over. Great day, and we staid until the very last ride.