Rock and Roll Baby

I will be the lead singer and sing my serious rock songs!


In August of 2006 Megan, Kaitlin and Grandma Bev came out to visit Kaia and I. It was a great time and it was the first time Kaia felt Evie Lu move as she 3 or 4 months pregnant at the time. One of the highlights of the trip for me was a visit to Seattle Center where we dropped by the Experience Music Project. This is a very cool place which if you come out you should go see.

I will write some happy songs too, but not sappy songs.


As with any museum they have the obligatory gift shop. Now the EMP gift shop is cooler than most as they have t-shirts for everyone from Bob Dylan to Bob Marley and the Beatles to Nirvana. I noticed they also had baby clothes.

I saw this Fender guitar onesie and I had to get it. Any baby of mine needs to learn early that the real guitar to play for rock and roll is a Fender. You want to play a Les Paul or a Paul Reed Smith? Fine, suit yourself. I'm sticking to my Stratocaster and my Telecaster thank you very much and so is Evie Lu.

To be a true rock star I need to practice my posing. Just like Bono, huh?


My dad always taught me stage clothes were important and the best color for stage clothes is black. Evie Lu has a great head start. For those about to rock, we salute you!

People, We Have An Announcement!

Actually we have two announcements. The first Evie Lu update has to do with rice cereal. It has been over a week since we'd tried giving Evangeline any rice cereal due to the Billings trip, but today Kaia fed her and she loved it. Evie Lu opened her mouth and only wore a small fraction of the cereal. Every time the spoon came close, Evie Lu was ready.

The big announcement is the start of two teeth! Two and a half months ago when Evie Lu started drooling like crazy everyone told us teeth were coming soon. Amazingly it took until now to see any evidence. Kaia could even hear them clicking on the plastic spoon as the rice cereal was going in tonight. Our little girl will be six months old by Saturday and she is growing so fast. (Aunt Megan better get home quick!)

I Have A Blackbelt In Sleeping

So our darling Evie Lu has mastered the art of turning from her back to her stomach. She actually seems to prefer being on her stomach, but it could be she just doesn't know how to roll back over. We had not really worried too much about her rolling over until last week.

While we were staying at Bruce and Terry's in Billings, we found Evie Lu had rolled over in her porta-crib and had fallen asleep on her belly. No big deal right? Wrong! We were told from day one that babies need to sleep on their backs for safety reasons. So, what should we do?



We decided to let her sleep as she was, turn the baby monitor all the way up, and check on her every 10 minutes or so. I would go in to check on her and would watch Evie Lu's back to see it rise and fall with her breathing. To cap it off she now is no longer using a pacifier (well, not much) since she's found her thumb. There is always something to worry about. Whew.

Help Me Dad!

Evie Lu is getting stronger each day and now loves to stand. Of course we need to hold her up, but Evie Lu acts like she's flying solo. When you hold her up she will try to walk a bit, but it mostly consists of leaning forward until one leg has to move for balance. Don't worry, Evie Lu is nowhere close to walking just yet.

She squeals with excitement as you bounce her, so you should come over and try it.

I know if I'm standing and lean I should be walking right?


Funny, this doesn't seem to be working.


One small step for Evie Lu, one giant burp for dad!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Kaia, Evie Lu and I enjoy prime seats.

What do you do on a summer day in Montana when the temperature hits 98? You go for an early walk, lay low in air conditioning during the day, and go to a minor league baseball game at night. At least that is what I do.

Grandma Rhonda, Evie Lu, and Evie Lu's baseball crazy dad


Cobb Field (named of course for Joe Field) sits near the base of the rimrocks in Billings. It is an amazing setting to catch a ballgame. I've been going there since the first summer we moved to Billings. Being a Cubs fan I have a rule that I cannot root for the home team unless I'm at Wrigley Field (named of course for Joe's cousin Stan Field). This led to me convincing my high school buddies to do the same and we would root against the Billings Mustangs while we sat on the third base line. Obnoxious? Absolutely. Hilarious? Mostly.

This is the last season for Cobb Field. The people of Billings voted to build a new park for the Mustangs which will be ready for next season. I was glad to get one last game in to reminisce about Brady and I rooting as loudly as possible for the Lethbridge Mounties or the Butte Copper Kings or the Helena Brewers. Maybe next summer Evie Lu and Brady's little girl Annabelle can catch a game at the new Mustangs park.

Why am I not facing the game?

Aunt Kaitlin - Mountain Woman

Peter, Kaitlin, and Kaia pose on the deck


A word from overseas Aunt Megan demanded an Aunt Kaitlin update, so here you go. Kaitlin is doing well as a third year staffer at Christikon (matching Kaia's tenure). As you can see in the picture above she is the very model of a competent and cool counselor. She was thrilled to see us drive up the very rough road to Christikon. (Bruce's Buick made it just fine, but I was worried as this was the first time I'd tackled that road in a vehicle that was neither mine nor a rental.)

Kaitlin ran down to us and immediately had Evie Lu in her arms. That is the godmother's right after all. Kaitlin showed Evie Lu the lodge and without delay Evangeline was entertaining the staff that had remained onsite during the break.

Evie Lu takes over the big table at Christikon


Counting Evie Lu there were only nine people onsite while we visited and we had a great time. My great friend and delusional Cardinals fan, Ken, let me help out in the kitchen as we prepared a feast for the group. Was it a good idea to eat a pound of steak? Maybe not, but it was tasty.

We stayed up way too late chatting and catching up. The time spent at Christikon is always too short, but a 24 hour stay is much too short. Although we don't know when we'll make it back we know we will.

Head cooks commiserate: A tuna noodle pizza? Interesting idea.


Kaitlin and Peter headed off for an overnight hike up at beautiful Bridge Lake, so we had to say goodbye. Evie Lu gave her aunt a sweet smile and they were off. Hike on Aunt Kaitlin!

Aunt Kaitlin, what is with that face?

If It Had Not Been For This Place

If it had not been for Christikon, Kaia and I might have never met. Nestled in the Boulder River Valley, this magnificent part of God's creation has been a big part of Evie Lu's life even though she had never been there before this week.

Kaia and I met there in 2001 and even returned as staff in 2005. There were some fellow staff hoping for a Christikon baby, but Evie Lu was to be a Seattle baby all the way.



We took Evie Lu on a very short hike which I'm sure is just a taste of what is to come in the years ahead. Someday the three of us will trek off into the wilderness and explore the trails hikers have been following for years. We're already planning our next trip.

I Know You Want Pictures . . .

. . . but we don't have them today.
Instead let me tell you about two great days so far. The flight was easy as can be and we're staying with some great friends as we help Grandma Rhonda move.

The baby highlights of today included play time with Olivia (see her Gal-Pal link to the right) and a first meeting with Cecilia who is nine months old. This was an absolute riot. Imagine our 5 and a half month old 20lb chunk of a baby playing with a 9 month old gangly baby who is as quick with a smile as Evie Lu and is a full head taller. It was a great time.

Evie Lu also got her first exposure to Old Chicago. I spent many nights and gained many pounds at Old C's with Chris, Jillian, and the gang back during seminary days. Someday I'll tell Evie Lu about the World Beer Tour and Italian Nachos. MMM . . . Italian Nachos.

Tomorrow we head to Christikon to see Aunt Kaitlin. We will definitely have pictures to share and I'll post them Thursday.

Getting Ready To Fly

As I write this we are packing to get ready to visit family and friends in Montana. Another plane trip and another chance for Evie Lu to be the perfect little traveler. We'll keep you posted as we visit Aunt Kaitlin at Christikon and give Evangeline her first taste of life in the Boulder River Valley. Maybe 2/3 of the guitar posse will get together for a reunion!

Squeals of joy

Evie Lu has discovered squealing, much to our amusement. But she can't decide if squealing is better on the inhale or the exhale (try it yourself, though preferably not in a public place like Evie). Her favorite thing to do is to stand and bounce in her dad's lap. It's a sure way to get her to practice her squealing muscles!


Sitting up is hard work!

Today's Fun Brought To Us By Kim From The Office

When I go to work I am blessed to be surrounded by many wonderful people. One of those wonderful people is Kim. When I got to work yesterday I discovered a little gift on my desk with Evie Lu's name on it. When Kaia got home we opened it and found a pair of booties with rattles on the toes. How cute is that?

So we tried them on Evie Lu and realized as she was playing and rolling around her fun was completely Kim funded. Between the booties and her big blue learning elephant she was completely stocked. (And a special shout out to Jenny for the blanket.)



There was no post yesterday as Evie Lu had a bit of a rough afternoon. As we were driving home and hit traffic Evangeline clearly expressed her displeasure. I was afraid she would scream all the way home. Ugh. Thankfully she got a great night of sleep.

Caught On Tape!

One of my co-workers has continually accused me of exaggerating the prowess of Evie Lu. Sarcastically I am asked, "So what tricks does she do now?" Of course, at the office Evie Lu is all business and does not have time to show off any tricks.

During her baptism weekend Evie Lu was dangerously close to rolling over many times and of course waited till all family had left before she actually did it. She had rolled over twice since then for Kaia and me. Then came yesterday. Yesterday from 5pm to 5:30pm PST Evie Lu rolled over six times. It was amazing. Of course she is now only rolling back to front. She has apparently forgotten how to roll from front to back. Below you'll see the pictures I caught.

I'm making my move.


Just about there.


Aren't I cute?


There should be a video of her rolling over posted to the right very soon.

There Is Something Wrong With My Baby

My daughter is a weirdo. Over the last few weeks Evie Lu has discovered she likes the feel of cloth on her face and with her newfound dexterity she can do something about it. When we let Evangeline roll around on the floor invariably she will grab her blanket and pull it over her head. Even better than that, you can place any burp cloth remotely near her and she will find it.

Dad! Help! That thing is getting closer!


It could be she is covering her face to try and avoid rice cereal. We have now been trying this new food for a week and Evie Lu is less than thrilled. Kaia thinks it is an aversion to the spoon, but I don't know. After all, she puts everything else in her mouth. Why not a spoon? We are keeping the faith and giving her a little bit every day.

Aaarrrgggghhh! It is too strong! But I must fight the burp cloth!

Dinner with Uncle Dan

We greeted another family member to Seattle last night. My uncle Dan was in town for a conference and took us all out for a really nice meal. Evie was a very good girl and got to stay up past her usual bedtime to coo and smile at Dan. Even the weather cooperated, showing another midwesterner that it actually is sunny in Seattle (sometimes). Today is cloudy and rainy, making it a perfect day for cleaning, a costco run, and catching up on reading. Little Miss Fancy Pants will spend her day kicking, creeping, squealing, and putting everything in her mouth except rice cereal.

Message In A Bottle

Happy Birthday Uncle Chris! So Evie Lu may not have any pictures with Aunt Becky, but she's only had hidden pictures with Aunt Megan and Uncle Chris. She did go to their wedding, but as you can sort of see from the picture below she wasn't exactly social at the time.

Over seven months pregnant and looking good!


When we told Evie Lu that today was Uncle Chris' 30th birthday, she gave us this look of shock. Either she was thinking, "Wow I've never even met my Uncle and he's already reached that vintage!" or she was pondering filling her diaper. We really can't tell with Evie Lu these days.

This is my look of surprise.


Have a great day Uncle Chris and enjoy some fine English cuisine for us.
We have been anticipating a visit from Kaia' Uncle Dan and tonight he gets to meet Evie Lu. She spent hours making sure her look was just right. You can never start too early you know.

Is my hair okay? Am I missing a spot in the back?


To update you on yesterday's post, I enjoyed two hours of great music from The Police. Sting and the boys were in top form and played without a break. They came back for four encores. Someday I'll drag Evie Lu to some big concert and she'll give me a look that says, "Dad, you are really old, but your music is not all bad. Now can I go back to listening to real music?"

Happy Birthday Aunt Becky!

My Aunt Becky is 30 today? No way!


My brother and sister have birthdays one day apart, so in order to be fair to both of them I usually forget to send a card to either of them. That is the case again this year. I really should have remembered as Evie Lu's Uncle Jody turned 25 yesterday and her Aunt Becky turns 30 today.

When we were back in Billings it was odd that Evangeline never was in a good mood when Becky was ready to pick her up. As a result I discovered I don't have a single picture of Becky and Evie Lu together. We will definitely have to remedy that situation.


Me, Uncle Jody, Aunt Becky, and Great Aunt Robin.


In honor of Becky's birthday Evie Lu has promised to be good and go to bed on time so I can go see The Police play in town tonight. She also promised to sleep through the night so she will be well rested when she meets her Great Uncle Dan for the first time tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Uncle Jody!

Evangeline's Godfather turns 25 today! He's a heck of a guy and of all the uncles with a Pat Riley haircut he's Evie Lu's favorite.
Jody is also training to run a marathon to raise money for Aids Project Los Angeles. You can check out his training progress and other interesting stuff at jodytherunner.com.



Also if you have four minutes you just don't know what to do with, you can check out the new Evie Lu movie. Click on the icon under the smiling Evie Lu movie and it should start up for you. It is her first experience with rice cereal.

A Day At The Beach

Last Saturday was not Evie Lu's first day at the beach, that was Memorial Day with Grandma Bev and Aunt Kaitlin, but it was her first chance to lay out at the beach. It was a gorgeous day with temperatures in the low 80's and a nice little breeze. Kaia took Evangeline to a local beach so they could enjoy this blast of summer.

Do I look good in the hat? Is it too much?


They found a great place in the shade and Kaia had a little picnic. All in all it was a great day. You can just barely see the shoreline in the picture above, but trust me it is a gorgeous spot.

If even this much sand gets in my diaper, I'm done!


Where was I during all this summer fun? The super exciting Synod assembly! Let me think, beach on one hand and the bishop on the other. Tough call. More like no choice unfortunately.

Feed Me!

I may have to do two posts a day this week to show you all the cool things Evie Lu has been up to in the last couple of days. I'll start with the most recent because this evening Evangeline had something other than just breastmilk to eat.



Dr. Ann recommended we start some rice cereal at least two weeks prior to Evangeline's six month check up. It was with more than a little trepidation that we proceeded to try it tonight. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting Evie Lu to do with this new taste sensation, but we made it a media event. Kaia fed her several spoonfuls first as I recorded with the video camera and then it was my turn to feed her as Kaia took still photos.



This was not an entirely happy experience for Evie Lu and she seemed to spit most of the rice cereal back immediately. There were quite a few sour faces, but then she brightened up as you see in the pictures above and below.



I'd say her first feeding was a great success. Perhaps not the most nutritionally satisfying, but she accepted the spoon and we finally are using bibs for their intended purpose!

Copy Grandpa

I apologize for not posting yesterday, but I didn't get to see my girl at all. (Not awake at least.) I was enjoying our Northwest Washington Synod Assembly. Maybe enjoying is too strong a word, but I was there and I got to put together a smoking band that rocked the Lutherans a little bit.

I have no stories for these next two pictures, but they just crack me up. Synchronized Grandpa and Granddaughter could be the next big thing.