Matisse-Ciel's First Victory!

The family crowded around the TV cheering our hearts out for Germany. There was a moment when I looked at Matisse-Ciel and he gave me this 'Don't Worry Papa, We Have This Game In The Bag!'. No more than a few minutes later Germany made its first strike with a beautiful goal. The game had some drama since Brazil had many score chances, but couldn't break through the great defense of Germany. The icing on the cake came late in the second half when Germany scored another classic with a beautiful header off of a corner kick. Marta from Brazil will leave the best female player in the tournament and Germany will leave The Champions Of The WORLD!

Germany Vs Brazil

Since the USA is out of the tournament, it looks like our family (The Germans), have to go up against the Chen Family (The Brazilians). Since I'm not from Germany & Scott isn't from Brazil you can see what culture runs the house!. This should be a great game and come with solid bragging rights for the team that wins. For those that don't know, the beautiful model in this picture is Scott & Isabela's adorable little girl Aurora. Game time is Sun. 08:00 ET.

Brazil Decides It For Me!

In a match that wasn't even close Brazil dominates the USA to a 4-0 score. Brazil has a player named Marta that has to be one of the most fun players to watch playing right now. She had several special moments in the game that left the USA team wondering what happened. Look for a special posting on the Germany Vs Brazil Final coming soon.

GERMANY OR USA?

Now it was a very easy choice while in Germany for the World Cup in 2006. It helped that USA was out faster than candles on a birthday cake. I do enjoy cheering for Germany and I'm outnumbered with German speakers in the house now 5 to 1. I might just defect one of these days....*Just thought about the beach and I'm gonna pass on the whole defecting idea. Well, I bring up this whole Germany or USA thing because the Women's Fifa World Cup is pacing for a nice championship match up of Germany vs. USA. Germany made it into the finals with an easy 3-0 win over Norway. USA has Brazil tomorrow morning and if they win it would set the tables for the finals matchup on Saturday. As you can see Mika has made her vote very clear. You should see Claudia's outfit! What side are you voting for?

BUTZELCHEN CARTOON

Stop & Put Your Hands Up!

The kids play this cute game when I need to leave the house, where they try and block the doors. Since Claudia plays along that's 4 doors off limits. As soon as Matisse gets of age I might not have a way out. There are times when the girls actually lock onto my legs making it impossible to walk. At this point they are so organized with this maneuver, with nothing but German words flying across the room giving instructions to not let 'That Man' out. Even when I'm running late and really need to get out I have a pretty good laugh out of it. I mention all of this to highlight the other day when Kai in costume shouted out to me "You're Not Going Anywhere Buddy!". The picture says it all ...

Monday Mornings...

This guy might have the coolest rise and shine routine on the planet. Pick him up in the morning, take a walk on the patio to check the ocean and feel the air. Here's a a series of shots showing how he felt about the day this morning. He's better than a ground hog.....Sunny Skies For The Next Week!

On The Bottle

Our little man is trying to do everything like a pro. The sleeping has come easy, the nursing has been easy and today we just tried out the bottle and from the looks of it, he's a pro at that too. It was nice to see Kiana experience the joy of feeding her little brother. She was so proud of this task that she could do now. It's such a joy watching Kiana loving Ciel & I can't wait to see how he loves her in return.

Life Comes Full Circle

My parents came done to visit today. We all had a nice time but I don't think anyone had a better time than my mom while she was holding Matisse-Ciel. I can't help but think she's having flash backs of holding me some 35+ years ago.

Home Sweet Home

It was nice once we drove home from the beach that we actually still had our own little paradise to enjoy from the patio. Claudia's sister (Sabina) says I have hands down the best view while barbecuing (above). Even though there might be a better one, I'm going to keep believing she's right.

Rain Is Good

We had heavy rain in the night which made for a beautifully clear day at the beach this afternoon. On top of it being so clear, the night rain scared everyone away from the beach. It almost felt like we had found the perfect private getaway in our own backyard. It was only Claudia, Matisse & myself which made us feel a little guilty to not have the rest of our crew and the Germans there. The guilt only lasted a few seconds and then we went back to enjoying the incredible views.

21 Days In

Since the change is on the way I wanted to make one official picture of the first month. Of course I'll pick another one before we close out the month but I figured I would at least start with this one.

What Happened?

Once Upon A Time Claudia & I Were Little Angels Too!!

Pictures Last Forever

After taking another 50+ shots of Matisse-Ciel today, looking at them on the computer, I started getting a little bummed. The growth process happens so fast with babies, and while looking at his photos I couldn't help but think that we only have so much time left with this Matisse-Ciel. In a few weeks the next Matisse-Ciel will introduce himself to us and this process will continue to happen for a while. Everyone tells you to get prepared for them to leave the house at 21, but I'm not even prepared to process losing this phase of our little boy.

How Much Is That Doggy In The Window?

This is easily one of my favorite outfits for Ciel. It's what we put on him after a bath. This kid is a pro in the water, but no matter how fast you wrap him, out of the water he has this 5 second lip quiver that is the cutest. The grand finale is putting him in this outfit. I couldn't imagine any kid not looking adorable in the outfit, but every time I see him in it, I feel he's the most adorable kid in the world. Why isn't the Paparazzi trying to get shots of this dude?

His Power Numbers

As I opened the evelope from Social Security it was wild to think how important this card, these numbers are. Think about how many times you utilize your Social for business, travel, banking etc. And, here we are with our 21 day old baby, who already has this oh so important series of numbers. Now I really feel like he's growing up too fast - I wanna give back a few days to enjoy this phase a little longer.

Ein friedlicher Sonntag Morgen

Ich bin's mal wieder... Jason macht das ja mit dem Blog so toll und regelmaessig, und er schreibt auch so wunderschoen, dass mir manchmal die Ideen und Worte fehlen... bzw. ich kann seinen Zeilen eigentlich nichts Neues beifuegen, und so poetisch und einfuehlsam wie er schreibt, kann ich das eigentlich auch nicht.
Aber, heute morgen muss ich einfach was schreiben, denn ich bin zu diesem Bild aufgewacht. Ich hatte Matisse-Ciel so um 5 Uhr morgens gestillt und bin dann wohl einem Koma aehnlichen Schlaf verfallen... der kleine Butzel hat dann wohl ein wenig gemeckert und Jason hat ihn bei sich auf den Bauch gelegt... und dann sind sie beide tief eingeschlafen!
Totaler Frieden, die beiden.
Dazu muss ich auch sagen: Jason liebt Kiana, Mika und Kai wie seine eigenen Kinder... er ist wirklich unser Engel... und die Kinder lieben ihn genauso zurueck. In ihren Augen ist er ihr Vater "der mit ihnen durch das Leben geht" (so Kiana's Beschreibung). Da hat es jemand wirklich gut mit uns gemeint, denn den Jason haetten wir uns nicht besser ertraeumen koennen. Deswegen freue ich mich auch, dass er mit MC das Erlebnis, die Gefuehle und die Liebe fuer sein eigenes Fleisch und Blut erfahren kann. Wenn er Matisse etwas vorsingt, mit ihm kuschelt, oder wenn wir alle 6!!! auf dem Bett liegen und miteinander quatschen und lachen.... tja dann ist die Welt rundum in Ordnung!

BUTZELCHEN CARTOON

First Words...

I can't say it's a lock, but I will acknowledge that Matisse-Ciel tends to enjoy German words the most. He also really enjoys my singing, which could challenge his full understanding of what the word 'enjoy' means to him. One of the coolest things is to watch him receive Claudia's words and watch the words flow through the channels of his ears into his brain. It's a great and special thing, the love between a mother and son.

Laguna Zoo

The shirt shows what this kid must feel like he's living in - A Zoo I Tell You! Between Grandma/Grandpa, Uncle/Auntie Ransom and now his Aunt Sabina & Holger from Germany, he will have his full taste of visitors. One of the cool parts (there are many) about the Germans coming down is that Matisse-Ciel will have more German voices in his head. Hopefully it can help him (and me) grab a hold of this challenging language. I say challenging, but Kai has turned the corner and he just seems to know all the German words now. At one point we were at the same level - does it matter that he was only 2 when we had this parallel learning curve? I have promised the family I will do all that I can to learn along with Ciel. A day he knows more German than me would be a sad day. I write this as a promise to all Germans....I WILL KNOW HOW TO SPEAK TO YOU BESIDES SMILING, LAUGHING & SAYING YES TO WHATEVER YOU ASK!!!

Work Out Video 2007!

The challenge of getting 4 kids to bed can be eventful at times. We're lucky to have a crew that leans more towards the fast than slow side of getting the job done. One thing I get though is the ever request of 'Let Me Show You One Last Thing'. For the most part they are small things to share but of course a necessity for the moment. Tonight was a classic when Kiana & MIke asked me to record their new 'Work Out' video.

Funky Bunch

The time seemed to go by in a blink, but my brother and his crew made the trip back today. Between the water and the horsing around at the house they all had a pretty good time. As you can tell from the pic Greatness (Lathan) still towers over Kai. At the current growth levels Jaylen may catch Kai in a few months. It's classic Ransom growth patterns - my nickname growing up was 7 Footer. They called me that because I was my current height in the 3rd/4th grade (10 years old). I was already practicing my signature for the NBA. My favorite player was Kareem Abdul Jabar because I figured I would be a center. This of course all came crashing down as I realized the growing had stopped. Kai will fall into the classic small man early and tall(er) later.

Being from Laguna there's no surprise this little dude likes water. Kai said he can't wait for them to 'almost' go in the water. I say almost since Kai has recently been infected with the fear gene. I don't see it sticking around for long but he has a lot more fun lately, being 'almost' in the ocean. Now put Kai in the jacuzzi and he can stay in all day. Sometimes the discovery channel can be a bad thing when it's a HD Shark Special!

RANSOMSOUL PHOTO GALLERY

German Translation

For those non-German readers, that would like to follow Claudia's writings - here's a very poor and at times hilarious German translation site. (usually about 20% correct).

Jetzt bin ich endlich mal dran!!!

Soooo, nach mehreren Anlaeufen auch mal meinen Senf zu diesem Blog dazuzugeben, werde ich mich heute nicht von Kindern, Telefonaten, hungrigen Baeuchen oder Muedigkeit davon abbringen lassen.  Die meisten von Euch verstehen sowieso genug Englisch, so dass ihr auch mit Jason's Eintraegen zumindest einigermassen auf dem Laufenden seid.

Morgen ist Matisse-Ciel schon (erst?) 2 Wochen alt...  schon sind Schwangerschaft, das lange Warten, und die Geburt fast vergessen...  vor allem weil der kleine Butzel ein wirklich ganz braver, zarter, lieber Bursche ist.  So zufrieden mit sich selbst und der Welt, ganz relaxed. 

Aber Jason's Mutter meint, so waere auch Jason als Baby gewesen.  Nun ja, ich warte schon so ein wenig auf das "boese" Erwachen, denn wenn er weiterhin so einfach ist, dann waere das zu schoen um wahr zu sein.

Zu Hause klappt alles prima... die Kinder sind total in MC vernarrt und schlupfen schon immer ganz frueh in unser Zimmer um zu sehen ob "Junior" schon wach ist.  Kiana und Mika sind natuerlich ganz fuersorglich und muetterlich, Kai hatte sich wohl schon vorgestellt, dass Matisse viel schneller waechst und er noch vor Weihnachten mit ihm Lego oder Piraten spielen kann.

Obwohl die Kinder nun wieder in der Schule sind (Kai hatte seinen 1. offiziellen Schultag - leider ohne Tuete), und wir ein volles Programm haben, ist eigentlich alles ganz locker.  Das ist wohl auch vor allem so, weil Jason mit mir zu Hause ist und mir unheimlich viel hilft, mit dem Kleinen und den 3 Grossen...  So bin ich zum Beispiel heute morgen schnell in die Dusche gehuepft und Jason hat mit Matisse auf dem Bett gekuschelt...  bis ich dann rauskam, ist Jason wieder dem Schlaf zum Opfer gefallen (siehe Bild oben)...  ach bitte, zuuuuu goldig!

So, genug fuer heute...  naechste Woche kommen Sabina & Holger zu Besuch... darauf freuen wir uns alle sehr!

Sunday Morning Football....

I've never been a big football fan, but with today being the first Sunday I figured I'd check a little out. With the game on in the background, so far the time spent has been mostly, looking at Matisse-Ciel & trying to figure out what he's looking at. It's so cool knowing that every moment for him is a new moment of discovery. It's not like he's never seen that bird before, but he's never seen a bird & O' by the way Papa...'What Is A Bird'.

Every time I watch my mom hold Matisse I can't help but imagine her thinking about how years back she held my brother & me. There is no greater love than the love received from your mom. The kids are so fortunate to have a Grandmother like my mom & a mother like Claudia.

The Ransom Crew

My brother & his crew came down to visit the new Ransom addition. Even though most of the time was spent passing Matisse, around, we did manage to get out and enjoy the sun a little. Since our crew had so much fun in Dana with the boats I figured it could be fun to take all the kids out this time. Nathan's kids being from Arizona, don't get to see the water much, so they had nothing but smiles as we cruised the harbor. This weekend was 'The Tall Ships Festival', so the kids had fun pretending they were pirates as we went past the boats.

Can You Find Matisse-Ciel In This Shot?

Not sure if it was the wind or the waves but Matisse-Ciel was wide eyed at the beach. At times it seemed like he had not blinked in minutes. Even the little red light from the camera didn't cause him to blink. This guy wanted to know what was this crazy motion and what could make a sound so interesting. Some shots might look the same but this guy was not gonna waste movement while enjoying this special moment.

Fun In The Sun

We went to our favorite beach in Laguna (top secret - but we promise to take you, when you visit). It was pretty windy today & the kids had fun running from the waves when they hit the rocks. Here's a video that captures the wind and at the end you get a glimse of the kids running while they scream their heads off. The young couple trying to have a romantic moment on the beach loved every minute of it.

Resting Like His Papa

Out of the hundreds of photos (yes 100+) we've taken of Ciel this is one Claudia says she see's me the most. It was how laid back asleep he was and his mouth (I thought it was the hair... wishful thinking). If I look like this asleep, I now know why I've caught Claudia staring at me when I've waken up in the middle of the night.

The Thinker....

Wow... is it true that the last time I posted was Tues? This was a hectic week with work and the kids started school which took a lot of our free time. Matisse-Ciel started having dreams of his first day in school and from the looks of it, he seems calm about the whole thing.

A week and a day ago this time we were just 3 hours into the birth of Matisse-Ciel. As I look back over these past days, so much has happened. The most notable thing is, I have never changed so many diapers in my life. What gets you is not the event of changing the diaper but how fast the second, third & fourth come for the day. I've called for the girls to take a diaper to the trash only to have them return with another one ready. Ciel always responds with great joy once changed, which makes it easy to applaud every blow-out.






Having a new addition to the house has been interesting to see processed for the kids in their actions. Kiana has been incredible with expressions of love. She's always the first in the room in the morning to want to lay with Matisse and the most eager to want to hold him. Mika has been classic Mika - when ready she is equal if not greater with effort than Kiana. With that being said, let there be a cool thing on tv and her little brother is just a little overrated. I do appreciate her kisses on his forehead the most since they are so filled with love.





Our original little man has had an array of emotions with the birth of his brother. At first he was a little bummed since I really think he imagined his brother coming out ready to play with him. Once that shock wore off, he was completely fascinated with the size of his brother. As time has gone by I've noticed the effect of watching a new little person get so much attention has taken on him. For starters, he's on my hip like a Beckham groupie (of course before the recent injury). This weekend I figured Kai & I could have a nice father and son outing. So Saturday morning I said the words he always loves to hear "Kai, do you wanna go to the gym with me & play ball?". I never saw I kid throw on some gear faster. It was the perfect event since he was able to dunk a few times, show off a few tricks and most of all, spend quality time with his papa.




Funny how you spend so much time thinking of new ways you're going to love this new child, and in the end you spend equal if not more time trying to figure what new ways your going to love the other ones.

One of the toughest parts about a baby is trying to hold back on buying all the cool outfits for them. This wrap was a last minute purchase and after putting it on him, I just loved it. If I could find a matching one in my size I might have purchased it after seeing this photo.

Running Water Meets Baby

It was official today that Matisse-Ciel is the favorite of the moment. I say that, since it was hot yet again and the only one that had a styling cool down was this little mug. I'll have Claudia back in the gym once she's ready to hit it and I'm going to see if she can pull this cool down holding me. Our little man really enjoyed it.

Chillin In The Heat

Today was a hot day in Laguna (96°F) and I was sure the heat would get to our little man. In the end, the only thing that bothered him was me all steamed up, while holding him. Even though he didn't complain, I could see his eyes telling me "Either get to some cooler ground papa or pass me over to momma" (the AC was our positive third wheel today). We're all hoping that next week is a lot cooler since it's getting time to show him the lay of the land. The way it seems like he's taking it all in I can't wait to show him so many things. Until then, I get the most fun just showing him me.

The Knowledge Tree

Today was a nice day to see both my parents and Grandma enjoying our new blessing so much. Of course he fooled them as he's doing us by being perfect all day.

While recording this, Kirk noted that we have Matisse-Ciel who's 6 days old and Great Grandma Alice who's 92 years old. It's always amazing seeing my Grandma & the life she's led but to put it into perspective with a 6 day old is greater than words.

Grandpa Kirk Brings Peace

Grandpa Kirk holds Matisse-Ciel while he dreams of playing with that Xbox controller on the floor. By the time he can play games they'll have virtual games played with headsets.

In Memory Of Morris & Jerome...

The kids where talking about the dogs the other day & it made me look up some old video. It's sad since we had such how hopes for the dogs, with the kids & baby Matisse-Ciel. In the end the dogs just got way to big for the kids (Claudia too) and we all worried about how it would be with the baby. I remember taking them for adoption and how sad Claudia & I were. At least we have some fun footage like this to look back on.