oh man, we better have some answers for her...

hmmm...

p e l a

mom's well, baby's well...

(no title)

p e l a (hebrew)

נפלא

adj. wonderful, marvelous; exquisitely (adv.) , fabulous, splendid, gorgeous, superb, grand, great, prodigious, proud, smashing, sovereign, splendent, splendiferous, stunning, swingeing, wondrous, adm

we're home~

Sarah and Pela are home and well. The dog and cats are curious and a bit suspicious. Winston is extra gassy. Grandparents Kolsto are here for a few days and then Grandma SHARON comes for a few weeks to help with Winston and Sarah's everyday things.

What a ride. What a life. More to come. My brain is too blown to say anything other than my brain is blown.

We are going to burrow away for a while and get to know our new family. Thanks so much for all of your support, prayers and encouragement.

spotted sleep looms near. I wouldn't trade it. xogrkslkpek

Update

Sarah and Pela are well. Sarah feels like she climbed El Cap with no training today, but she is positive and a natural mom. I am sure it's possible to love two people more, but I don't know how yet. Here's some photos, the first of many, of course...

love and thanks to you all.

She's here!

So, Pela Elise Kolsto was born today @ 7:50am. 6lbs 10oz and 171/2 inches.

We welcome here to the planet and into our family. I now understand. I would die for this little creature. I know you know what I mean. What an experience.

Oh, and Sarah killed it. She's my hero. I am fully blown away. Women are the most amazing creatures, eh?

Anyhow, here's the first of many photos... love to you all and than you for your prayers. We do covet them. xogrk

IT"S ON!!!

latest cut

Thanks to Ryan and his father for some tools passed on.

Fine chisels make better craftsmanship.

Check it

Hello Umphrey's fans, here's a fine show they threw down near here in a land called Kansas.

Look for and enjoy a show near you...

more waiting and gratuitous belly shots

So, with Sarah's official due date passed, we continue to wait. Not a bad thing; at least from the perspective of the partner who doesn't have the squirming creature in his belly. Baby's gotta come out, right? Right.

not baby, but boulder

Here's the local tall boulder in a park near our home. it looks a little chossy, but we are not complaining. A little maintenance to the area surrounding it, as well as some face clean up, we should have ourselves a fine workout.

Crash pad included...

remember that nervous feeling in the stomach?

yeah. click here.

wow.

4 minutes of tall bike. I can't stop watching with a nervous feeling in my stomach. I am glad he did it. I would like to see the dismount.

Thanks Ryan...

snippet of the new Jacob Fred

new drummer, new sound...

chewy

weirdo...

mmmkay...

So, not much can accompany this post in terms of text. I think the photo pretty much speaks for itself. Mystery can of mystery product by mystery sender...

And to the sender: We're on to you. There was one little code on the UPS label you missed...

Can't wait to break it open.

shots of the current baby

Winston is a character. He has enjoyed hanging with his friends, Carlye and Nigel. He had a particular affinity for Nigel (you know what I am talking about). Anyway, he's a good dog. He's a nut, but hey, he's a terrier- and he lives with us. What does one expect.

In the shot of him and I, you can see a display of the snaggletooth version coined, 'single snags'. Single snags, indicates mild dissatisfaction or frustration. Double snags means something is amiss, and something will be done about it. Most likely, someone's butt will be used as a springboard. That is all.

This photo...

I hope you all enjoy this photo as much as I do. Life is precious. Nice work, Ryan.

Time with Begnauds

Carlye and Nate are here from respective places on the map to hang with Sarah and I for a few days. We have done a form of the standard eating and walking tour of KC. With views of giant shuttlecocks and Henry Moore sculptures, we ushered in Sunday morning. Practically complete strangers threw a baby shower for Sarah after a church service. The body of Christ is alive and well. I am reminded of that daily since our time in KC, and especially since we stumbled in to the church on Walnut.

Have a fine Monday; no baby yet...

wow...

Reason to visit KC

If we can't convince folks to trek to the 'heart of America' by means of soccer, ice cream, precious Boston Terriers, or fine graffiti, won't you come for nectar delivered by aliens from another planet? Please visit the website and visit the shop. You owe it to yourself to leave every other experience of palette indulgence similarly pale.

I can say that with certainty out of my own experience for I have not yet experienced the glory that is KK 2.0...

cheers to chosep

So, there's a little man in washington state, who shares a bit of history with me... Last time I saw him, he had dried his eyes out in a painful way, the genesis of the problem I cannot recall. I remember frequent drops being administered with grimaces to his shriveling optical orbs.

I knew him in those formative years in life when you work at an ice cream shop for a woman named Dorothy Mae Beaver. Chosep is of Ukrainian descent, so you can only imagine how that mixes with dairy and the freakishness that exudes from an environment rote with humming refrigerators, bright oranges and pinks, and a woman named Charmaigne who was directly out of the Bronx in the 1920's, washing clothes in a crowded alleyway, ie, big, strong and frighteningly nimble. She made cakes in this generation.

I am leaving out details for a sense of generality in story. All I am saying is Chosep has grown to be a fine young man, seasoned with the salt from the pacific northwest. He has chosen the accordian as his weapon of choice. He is loved by the author. His goings on can be found here & here.

Peace to you Chosep.

little cat...

last days before the first days part 2

We are ready as can be for this new family member to come. Any day now... as for what we do, it's more of the same:watch the belly grow, work on some wood, pet dogs and cats, and drink coffee. love to you all...

Sustained

Interesting sustainable links here. New Belgium is a pretty cool company itself. Check out the bike you get after you've worked there a year. Well, anyway, I couldn't find it. It's on the label. Mmm... Fat Tire...

chim chim in E?

Randoms

pictured is another effort at a woodcut from the weekend and a delicious slug. I know it's delicious because I touched it to all the animals' lips. They found it salty, and therefore not entirely unpleasant.

shug

Our friend Sugar came out from NC this past couple days. He is about to jump ship from the lunacy that is KK. Krispy Kreme has thrown in the towel as they say, and sold off the coffee roasting facility. It was a long time coming. Bravo to those who polished the brass for so long after the ship was sinking. One can learn from futile enterprise. Just don't stay too long.

Anyhow, we went to a fine rock and roll show in Lawrence, KS on Thursday night. We took in a soccer game last night and did the KC eating and walking thing a little bit. Sugar got to meet Winston and saw Sarah in her shining glory of ensuing motherhood. He has a beautiful son of perhaps 5 months now. Best to him in his future exploits on the Atlantic coast.

Hi Sharon

Welcome to our blog.

last days before the first days part 1

What do we do? Hang with each other and dog and cats. We speak to people and hear of birth stories that end with "everyone's different. good luck". We will soon be those people with those lines. However, until then, we try to steer the conversation to such things as the gaseousness of Winston(he helps by offering 'for instances'), the huge flocks of birds chirping day and night in the tree tops that are given to silence then frantic flight and other such things such as houses for sale in NC for a good price.

I got my bike back from 5 months in the shop. I have begun the breezy 2 mile commute to work. It's a good thing. My goal is to commute full time here soon when travel is not needed during the day. I think it can be done. We'll see. As I was leaving for work after lunch, I was helmeting up and I looked down to see Winston peeing on my front tire. Little punk he is. I guess it's Winston's bike now.

Sarah is now 2 cm dilated and the baby has dropped. So, we are as ready as can be for the work to begin. Aunt Kizze and Uncle Nigel will be here next weekend, so we think that may be a fine time to begin. Why not?

Here's a few photos of how we spend our time.