Things Are Looking Up

The countdown is on for Evangeline's first plane ride. We take off this Thursday afternoon and we'll be in the air for four hours with one stop. My mantra for the flight is, "We can deal with anything for four hours."

When asked for her biggest worry about the flight, Kaia responded, "Oh do I have to pick just one?" Experts say this is the easiest time to fly with a child, but who knows what is in store. Because she is under two, Evie Lu will be in one of our laps for the flight. A good idea? Maybe not.

Then again maybe the worry should be the tiny little plane we'll be on for the last leg of the flight. Forty of your closest friends in a plane with one bathroom and overhead bins the size of glove compartments. Good times!

Look up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's superbaby!

Thar She Blows

Several years ago a group of my friends determined there are rules of comedy. These rules are for things that are always funny. I can't remember all of them, but 1)Things that are true are funny 2)Things that are not true are funny 3)Monkeys dressed as people and 4) Pirates. (If you doubt me say out loud in a pirate voice what you had for breakfast. It is true and piratey!)

I know what you are thinking. "Did she burp six times or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth in all the excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as I am three and a half months old, the most powerful spit-upper in the world, and would ruin any outfit you have on, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

Well, I think I need to add another item to the rules of comedy. When your baby spits up on someone else. Hilarious. Now imagine this scene. Your baby spits up on someone else who has asked to hold her. Comedy gold. Add to that, your baby spits up on two somebody elses when the wife of the couple has asked to hold her and we are at a memorial service. Wow.

Now, I didn't laugh exactly at that moment. I laughed later, but Evie Lu got her revenge as she spit up directly into the pocket of my dress shirt. Also, very funny if you are not the one wearing the shirt.

Who do I look like?

It's been mixed views, so far, on who our baby looks like. She obviously has her dad's eyes and smile. I'm afraid she has my pout and baby chub. When my parents visited in February, they brought my baby pictures, and a few of my baby outfits. Here is a photo of Evie Lu in one of those outfits, and a photo of me in the same outfit almost 29 years ago. What do you think? It took some serious guts for me to post this picture, so no poking fun. While trying on this "vintage" outfit, Evie had some fun wiggling on the floor. I wish I knew how to post movies like Will, because I would have liked to show you what the last picture looked like in motion. I thought that if she pumped her arms and legs any faster, she would have started to hover!

Good News!

We have a date for baptism! May 27th will be the big day for Evie Lu to get splashed. The 27th also is Pentecost so we'll be celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit in two ways. It will be sacramentastic. And Uncle Jody as a Godfather? I don't think it gets any cooler.

Unless of course you mention her Godmother Aunt Kaitlin. Kaitlin will get a leg up on Aunt Becky and Aunt Megan in the most favored aunt race because Evangeline will be cheering for her favorite college graduating aunt in just a week and a half.

Even though Evie Lu won't really know what is going on, I'm excited for her to see the farm. This will be the first time Evangeline hears Rudy barking as the car pulls up to the house. And the first time she'll be on the land which has been in Kaia's family for generations. She'll sleep in the house where her great-grandfather Tom was born and raised. I wonder if any pictures will be taken?

The Morning Routine

Good morning! As I write this Evie Lu is sweetly sitting with me. She is dressed and ready for the day while Kaia and I are still trying catch up with her. Mornings are some of Evie Lu's best times. She is happy just about anywhere and she'll let you eat.
Her day starts when she wakes up or like this morning poops loudly enough to wake us. This morning 6am was the wake-up call. Then Kaia feeds her and she joins us in the kitchen.

Look at that!


After we eat, the clothing options are determined and Evangeline votes by spitting up on the outfits she rejects. She'll play for a while and then begin to wind back down.



About two hours after she wakes up she's ready for her first nap which often coincides with me driving to the church. That nap hopefully takes her through staff meetings and up to her mid morning feeding. Not a bad way to start the day.



In the time it took me to type this with one hand, Evangeline has gone from happily sitting, to slightly fussy, to sound asleep in my arms. Good morning!

She's A Drooler

This picture was not mother approved. And yes, that is drool.


It must have been two weeks ago that the waterworks started. Out of nowhere Evie Lu just started drooling. And not just a little bit. I'm talking about soak her little shirt amounts of drool. Actually forget for a second about her shirts, because Kaia and I have had to change shirts more often now too due to the drool.

Someone asked at church last night if it was because Evangeline was getting ready for some teething. I don't know, but as you can see it is something to behold. It doesn't bother her at all, so that is a bonus.

There is a scene in "O Brother, Where Art Thou" where a little girl in a sing-song voice repeats, "He's a suitor." I now do my own little sing-song chant of, "She's a drooler." Join me, won't you?

You can see how her boppy is just soaked beneath Evie Lu's chin.


I wonder if Kaia can use some drool in the lab?

Low Sunday

The Sunday after Easter is called Low Sunday because attendance is usually dismal. The rush of excitement at Easter is replaced with exhaustion after all the hard work. It is usually on this day you'll hear seminary interns or guest preachers and the lesson is always on Doubting Thomas.
I'm preaching today and I've decided I need to communicate God's love to the congregation as clearly as Evie Lu communicates it to me. I will use the words of grace and forgiveness, of peace and reconciliation, but not just in a nebulous ethereal way in a right here for you way. If I can do that I figure we can get rid of this whole Low Sunday thing altogether.

And They Call It Puppy Love

Last night we had a great dinner with Erik and Cam and we met their new puppy Mabel. I was hoping Evie Lu would be excited to see a puppy for the first time, especially since we love singing, "I Want To Be A Puppy Dog" when it's diaper changing time. Evie Lu was not noticeably impressed, but Kaia and I were. Evie Lu did impress Cam with her usual laid back baby-self. Evangeline talked a bit, smiled a bit, and then settled down so we could have a great meal.

I figure it won't be long before Evie Lu is thrilled to see Mabel. I definitely want to make sure my little girl is not afraid of dogs.

The More We Get Together

Evie Lu had her first reunion last night. Our birthing class from October/November held a reunion to see how all the moms, dads, and babies are doing. There were fourteen couples in the class, but only four couples came last night. You have to wonder when people don't make it back to reunions how many of those babies are already in jail or have found themselves in the backalleys of life working as professional musicians. (We won't mention those wayward, jazz trumpet playing babies. We'll just say a prayer and light a candle.)

All fourteen couples in our class had found out the sex of their expected little bundles and Evie Lu was the only expected girl. And so it was last night Evie Lu was the only girl with three boys. How long am I safe from worrying about her dating?

That's it. Hold your head a little higher like me.


No,higher. You've just given up.


You are right. This is less work.

Working Out

Between being dressed ridiculously by me and given the full spa treatment in the bath by Kaia, Evie Lu likes to play on her mat. She is so active these days and drooly. You would not believe the amount of drool coming out of this tiny person. Here is her usual routine.

Alright, I'm looking good in the mirror.


Seriously, are you going to spot me or just take pictures?


Leg lifts are a big part of my routine.

Look To Your Right

If you do that you will notice a new feature of the blog. You can now click on movies for Evie Lu. The newest movies will show up below the old ones and the just added clip features Evie Lu trying to talk with hiccups. Enjoy!

Evangeline Presents: You Make The Call!

Above and below you have Evie Lu wearing an outfit I (Will) put her in yesterday. The call you need to make is whether this outfit is fit for a baby. Or in other words does it match? You make the call!

No Massage For Me, Thank You

Maybe it is because Evie Lu has an aversion to feeling slimy, but our little one does not like her baby lotion after bath time. Kaia has started running the bath water before she brings Evangeline in the bathroom just to keep the element of surprise.

The actual bath time usually goes very well and Evie Lu has started splashing in the water, but the minute you take her out of the water and try to put the lotion on . . . dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria! That is to say she does not like it one bit. A small price to pay for looking so good, don't you think?

We've Missed You!

What did Evie Lu's first Holy Week have in store for her? She went to three of the eleven services we held from Thursday through Sunday night. Other than paid church staff, I don't know of anyone who went to more.

Evangeline seems to be handling the whole pastor's daughter thing well enough. Although during the Maundy Thursday service Kaia put her on her shoulder and a comment from three pews back was, "She is chubby!" Maybe the comment was the reason Evie Lu decided to be fussy and not let Kaia participate fully in the service.



Easter Sunday saw me preach twice and lead five services. Kaia attended the contemporary service and worked feverishly to finish a presentation due Monday. Evie Lu wore a pretty dress and got an Easter Basket! We were also invited to a friend's house for lunch. It was a great meal and our host told us the theme was WWJE (what would Jesus eat). No ham and scalloped potatoes here, but grilled lamb chops were amazing. I'm not sure the lemon meringue pie was too prevalent during Jesus' time, but it was fantastic too.

Getting Grabby

One of Evie Lu's first toys is still her favorite. Meredith sent a cool bunny which is a rattle, a mirror, has crunchy bits, and is just all around awesome. Up to this point we have had to play with it for Evangeline. We'd hold it in front of her and shake it and watch Evie Lu light up, but seemingly overnight she's able to pick up things within reach and pull them to her face to entertain herself.

I'd noticed over the last week when Evangeline is upset and you give her the pacifier she would pull your hand close to her. I assumed this was more a reflex than actually wanting my hand, but now I'm thinking differently.

Breakfast As A Family

One of the first "some assembly required" baby items we received was Evie Lu's high chair. I was so excited I set it up in October and it sat at our table empty for months. I put it in a closet shortly after Evangeline was born because dinner guests were filling the table.

Now some six months after the original assembly it is back! Evie Lu loves it. She gets to sit up with us as we eat. We generally eat around 7am, so come on over.

I Want To Crawl

Kaia and I noticed last night that as Evie Lu was on her back she was scooting a little bit. Her movements were random and rapid, but she was moving. We decided to giver some belly time to see if this back scooting could be translated into crawling. Not a chance, but she held her head high and looked like any moment could burst forward.



Don't the cheeks just get you?

Happy New Year!

Is the greeting we share every opening day. It truly is a new year with new possibilities and every team is in the race. Following tradition I took opening day off from work and Evie Lu shared it with me for the first time. I have detailed before the joys of being a sports fan in the Pacific time zone and yesterday found the Yankees/Devil Rays game starting at 10am! Baseball at 10am, I love it.

Evie Lu learned the importance of pacing yourself on opening day. Just because you have the Cracker Jacks and brats doesn't mean you need to go crazy from the beginning. In the important games of the day Evangeline learned heartbreak and reality as the Cubs lost to the Reds in a game that was never really close, but she thrilled to the big bats and great pitching of the Minnesota Twins. Evie Lu let out a squeal that sounded a little like "Torii" when Mr. Hunter went yard early in the game.

The pictures below were taken during the Cubs game.

Dad, look how green the grass is. And that pitcher for the Cubs looks unbeatable. I like baseball!


What? Two home runs by Adam Dunn? That's not good.


Dad, I don't think I can watch this. When do the Twins play?

Play Ball!

What are Evie Lu and I going to do today? Walk to the store to pick up brats, buns, and chips. Put Brady on speed dial for homerun calls. Then settle in for a day full of baseball! My little girl's first opening day features both my Cubs and her mom's Twins on ESPN. What could be better?



My guess for Evie Lu's first words after today? "Boo Cardinals!"

Smartest baby ever!

It was a momentous day ... Evie said her first words! Not just one, but four! While in church listening to her dad's homily, Evie could be heard saying, "Wrap it up, Dad". Needless to say, her mom is a little upset her first word wasn't "mama". Stay tuned in case other late-breaking Evie news hits this April Fools Day.