A Stump of a Guy

Meet Bill Bonderud, my father-in-law. To say my father-in-law is a character is a redundancy. Three weeks ago he devised his own weight loss program: come to Sonoma, eat only heathly food, wake up at 6:30 every morning to a grinning granddaughter, and spend the remaining moments of the day doing obscene amounts of yardwork. The biggest challenge in our yard has been stumps. We had half a dozen stumps to remove and Bill took them out. The one pictured here took 3 days to conquer.
His plan worked, he has dropped 24 pounds in 3 weeks. However, we have been the real beneficiaries. Aside from the obvious fact that our yard is 10 times better thanks to his efforts, Stefanie can pick up the kids and leave the baby napping, Marley can listen to nutty stories at 6:30 am when everyone else refuses to wake, Asher has a challenger for his games, and Ella has a grandpa to help build fairy houses. Our whole family has appreciated his help much more than he appreciates losing the weight. Some people have a real problem with nutty father-in-laws. I sure am glad for mine.

Rounding the Bases

I don't think I have ever heard a baseball coach tell a kid to slow down as they run the bases, but that might be the case for Asher next time he is on the field. In his game last week, he was running the bases on one of his hits and caught up to the player in front of him at home plate. As the first boy turned around, he collided with Asher and caught him in the mouth with his batting helmet. At first, I thought his lip was split, but it seems Asher's tooth went through his lip from the inside to the outside. Besides a lot of blood, it wasn't too bad. However, he still has a fat lip a week later and some tissue in his mouth that is hanging loose and has yet to heal.
He sat out for 1/2 an inning, but when the time came to bat again, he was back in the box. I guess it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Introducing the Red Rainbow

Opening Day

Asher has had two weeks of baseball, and he is pretty much in love with it. Truth be told, he goes pretty full-tilt into whatever "thing" he is doing. Soccer during soccer, football during the superbowl. Right now it is baseball. I really don't know where this obsessive behavior characteristics comes from. It must be a passive Bonderud trait.

He is on a coach-pitch team called the A's. I am helping with the coaching. He is still a bit afraid of getting hit with the ball, but he is a strong hitter. In his first game, he hit the ball to the fence.

Is it getting hot in here?

I never thought I would be so excited for a Papa Murphy's pizza. After 6 months of living in a fake kitchen, we have finally graduated. We have an oven. True, the oven is on cinder blocks. Nevertheless we are rejoicing in our convection capacities.

It is amazing how we have adapted to our rustic conditions. Stefanie often forgets that she now has options. She was cooking fish the other night that didn't come out too well. It was only after dinner that she mused, "This would have been better if I didn't cook it in the toaster oven." Then the lightning struck and she realized she didn't have to use the toaster if she didn't want to.

Ella's Dance Party

Ella turned 6 last week. For this occasion she invited 12 of her friends to come for a dance party. We cleared back the couches in the living room, hung some stars, painted a big star on the floor, and made a playlist worthy of the boogie. When Ella came down, I made her favorite breakfast--chocolate chip pancakes. In the middle of breakfast, she asks, "Dad, can you wear your red suit today?" There are two things to consider. First, how can you turn your daughter down anything that is reasonable and easily within my power on her birthday? Second, I am always looking for an excuse to wear my three piece red suit. So in addition to everything else, I got to wear that beauty.
We had some fun with the chicken dance, YMCA, freeze dance. From there we moved to cupcakes and presents. Let the girls play a little. Organized some more dances. And at the end of the three hours, I learned one great truth. Three hours is too long for a 6 year-old birthday party. I think I was done at 2 hours.

Ella introduces Kate

Ella wanted to bring Kate to school right after she was born. Obviously a newborn and a kindergarten class don't go together for a variety of reasons. So, Ella made this podcast instead to bring to class and share.