Carving pumpkins with Dad!

They had so much fun, even though initially they didnt want to get dirty!:)

Jude and I just watched...

Happy Halloween!

Soccer & Parenting

Coaching 2 teams this year has really underscored how different my kids are from each other and has proven to be quite a parenting feat.  To break them down a little bit (in terms of soccer, at least):

Julian -- Loves the competition and is very enthusiastic (probably more enthusiastic telling and re-telling stories of his game time exploits).  Still a little nervous about fully engaging for fear of contact;
Caleb -- Has really been a struggle to kindle much enthusiasm for the game.  He does love being part of a team (cheers, joking with other kids) but could take or leave the game itself;
Jack -- 4 years of trying to keep up with his brothers has really made him a pretty great player.  He had 4 goals on Saturday before I asked him to help other kids score (where he had 3 or 4 more assists).  Very laid back in terms of personal stats and loved helping the other kids score as much as scoring himself.
Christian -- Definitely my most aggressive kid.  Sometimes goes after the kid rather than the ball.  Loves the competition and loves to promote his accomplishments (he had 3 goals on Saturday and held up a finger after each goal to indicate just how many points he was racking up).  

I wish that I could say in this post that I've mastered the intricate workings of each of my kids' minds, but such is not the case.  My efforts are just as likely to blow up in my face as yield the desired result.  That said, I'm crazy about each of them and grateful for the opportunity to be their dad. Soccer has been a good opportunity to really work with them and I'm grateful for that.

Robot & Frank

I don't usually take time here to shill for my work related projects, but I'm very partial to this film.  I have had a pretty active role in helping to acquire this project out of Sundance (the first time my Utah contacts have actually given me a competitive advantage as we were able to see the film the night before almost all the other companies).  Its in limited release in New York right now, but will be expanding to multiple markets over the coming weeks.  I can totally recommend this one without reservation.

A family of five!

Jude arrived on July 24, 2012! He is a great addition to our family!

We all love him so much!

Deseret Industries

Living in Los Angeles is expensive, especially when you factor in 4 kids.  Two things that have made our life economically viable over the last few years are Melissa's ability to save (she is amazing and the best family CFO I've ever met) and our joint ability to bargain shop.  The DI up in Sacramento has been particularly helpful on that front.  We were up for my 20th high school reunion (I know, I don't look a day over 30) and did a stop by on the way to the event.  By way of background, we bought a 12 inch bike from Amazon in order to get the older boys up and riding.  It was around 100 bucks, but is a very nice bike.  Julian took to it like a duck to water and is really doing great now.  Problem is all of the other kids also need/want turns.
Luckily DI had two 12 inch bikes in varying states of disrepair, which we were able to snag for 20 bucks total! After a couple of hours of tinkering (putting on new pedals, greasing the chains, etc) we had them up and running.  Now, they aren't as nice as the 100 bike, but they run fine and are perfect starter vehicles.  Just need to find one more set of training wheels for Jack and Christian.  Just having trouble getting over the thought of spending more for training wheels than the bike I'm putting them on!

Mud Run!

Every year there is a widely attended mud run at Camp Pendleton (a marine corps base located outside of Oceanside).  This was my second year in a row participating and I really love it.  I'm a little disappointed in myself (definitely less prepared than last year), but enjoyed having Melissa and the kids come down with me this time.  We stayed at the Marriott in Oceanside and spent a few hours in the pool after the run.  Actually, I think I got more of a work out in the pool than I did at the run as the kids kept insisting on taking turns swimming laps on my back.  I think everyone had a great time.  We also managed to stop at a beautiful nursery on the way home and pick up a new avocado and lemon tree.  Very productive day!

BEFORE:

  
ONE OF THE MUD PITS:

AFTER

AND ROGERS GARDENS WHERE WE GOT OUR FRUIT TREES

A-Frame

Melissa and I went out for dinner at A-Frame a couple of weeks ago.  Its Roy Choi's (Kogi BBQ and Chego) newest place situated in a renovated IHOP in Culver City.  We really enjoyed ourselves.  They do a modern take on picnic food.  You can see a menu here.  We had a spicy kettle corn to start, crab cakes and ribs for appetizers and a cracklin beer can chicken entree we split.  It was very tasty.  I was especially obsessed with the ribs and have spent the last 2 sunday dinners trying to recreate them.  They haven't been as good as A-Frame's, but they have been very tasty.  Failing never tasted so good!