• snow prediction = grocery run on local stores
• 0-1 inches = schools cancelled, tire chains installed, local news anchors suit up in goretex.
• 2-3 inches = people leave their cars in the middle of the freeway and wander aimlessly.
• 3-5 inches = all work stops. Local news creates storm logo and theme music.
• 6+ inches = cannibalism

So in case we are eaten by our rabid neighbors, consider this Team Wendorf’s farewell post. Pictures of the devastation can be seen at our photos.

• Item 1: We have 3 kids
• Item 2: Kristina is with child four, due in May
• Item 3: Battle Cat now lives with us
• Item 4: Jason is working at Microsoft
• Item 5: We bought a Eurovan, which is a minivan that doesn’t bathe regularly and smokes tiny, filterless cigarettes
• Item 6: Otto turned 1
• Item 7: We go to church at Mars Hill Church Downtown

Ok, looks like its angles and dangles time. till we surface again… DGUTS!

I of course wrote this in all seriousness even though I included a few humorous items in the plan, but Kristina felt that the entire thing was funny. So funny in fact that she was doubled over in laughter about the whole thing. So much for trying to apply project planning to family goals.

Here’s what Team Wendorf will do in case of fire:

Equipment Available:

* Two fire masks - one kept under each side of the parents bed
* Two fire blankets - both kept handy in master bedroom
* one fire ladder - kept in Kai’s room

If we are awoken by fire during the night we will do the following:

* pee pants
* put on fire masks
* Kristina wraps Otto (and self if necessary) in fire blanket
* Kristina takes Otto to Lucias room
* Kristina takes Otto and Lucia out window onto porch roof
* Jason takes fire blanket and goes to kai’s room (wraps self in blanket if necessary)
* Jason puts ladder out window
* Jason carries Kai down ladder to yard
* Jason helps Kristina, Otto and Lucia off of porch roof
* Jason rushes into flaming building to save Russel (our basement renter)

What we need to do:

* learn how to use ladder
* learn how to use fire masks
* possibly buy one or two more fire blankets (to keep in kids rooms)
* possibly buy one more fire ladder for master bedroom as alternative escape option
* pray we never have to deal with this

Last night at 2:30am October 28th the incredible Kristina Wendorf gave birth to our third child; a boy officially named Otto.
Some of you may remember that Team Wendorf Report kicked off a year and a half ago with a post titled ‘Welcome Kai, this is your life!‘ announcing the birth of our second child, first son, Kai Atticus.

Otto came pretty much right on time, so we were able to deliver at the birthing center of our beloved midwife Charlotte Geddis. Kristina’s labor wasn’t quick as Kai’s but still faster than Lucia’s. It was ‘intense’ like the other labors but unique from the others as well.

We are very grateful to God for our third child and are continually amazed by His grace and love for us.

Kristina is doing well considering the nature of childbirth, and Lucia and Kai spent the day with their ‘Aunt’ Mandi and apparently had a great time. Jason is counting his blessings in that, at this point, he has only one wedding that he will have to pay for in his future.

Much thanks to everyone who has been praying for us. The evidence of God’s kindness is amazing.

More info soon…

(for more info about Seattle weather check Steve Pool’s awesome weather resource at the humbly titled www.stevepool.com)

The annoyance was getting stuck on our own street. We live on a steep hill that crests about 20 yards south of us, and gets steeper for about a quarter mile to north of us. After the initial snow the roads were fine at the crest of our hill, but in front of our house and down the hill was a solid sheet of ice, about an inch thick. We were literally stuck for almost a week because our front wheel and rear wheel drive cars couldn’t make it the 20 yards to the crest, and going down hill to the next main street was a quarter mile bobsled run littered with cars in ditches left by the brave and idiotic.

The treat was the beauty of the snow, which was stunning the next day as the sun came out (which we hadn’t seen for quite a few months). We took the kids out in the snow, which they didn’t really know what to do with, but it was fun anyway. I shot a video of the snow and the kids using the dv camera we got for Christmas (thanks mom and dad). I then threw a short video together using the automatic movie creation tool in Windows movie maker which, as it turns out, is a nifty little program.

btw, I know that the intro to the video says ‘Snow Day 2006′, but in reality it was 2007, so shut up.

Kai Atticus was born 5 ½ weeks early at the UW Hospital. He failed his (now routine) newborn hearing screens at the hospital, however we assumed that he had fluid in his ears which is a common cause of inconclusive results for all babies, especially those born preterm. Being stubborn I did not deem it necessary to take Kai in for further testing and felt it a disruption to the new schedule we were trying to implement with 2 babies in our family.

Upon the urging of medical professionals we took Kai for a follow up hearing screen. The results were the same, Inconclusive/Failed, at which point we were referred to Children’s Hospital. A few more weeks passed before we were subject to extensive (and tense) 2 hours of testing which determined that Kai had a bilateral mild to moderate hearing loss.

Our audiologist was kind and did her job well but due to hospital policy (and a non-urgent diagnosis at a hospital filled with crisis) we were sent away with a hug, a pamphlet on hearing loss and a return appointment 6 weeks later to confirm or correct the results from this day’s tests.

(stay tuned, this is the first in a series of upcoming posts about the story so far regarding Kai’s hearing issues)

Also, Kristina has promised that she is going to give this blogging thing a whirl, so be on the look out for that.

To kick things off here are a few photos that we shot this weekend at the Mt. Si Nursery which is right next to Mt. Si, strangely enough.

(click on the photo to see more)

This is the third year we have driven up there to take in the scenery, look at pumpkins, and shoot pictures of the kids (only the last two Octobers for that).