A Fall Post

I figured that I had better get a post up for fall since it is almost winter! We have so many pictures to share! The kids had a great rest of the summer - the fair was a blast as it always is, Jr. High has proven to be a fun and hectic place for Taylor and Ian is really fitting in at his new school. My classes are also going well - most are online this semester. This will be the last semester that I will enjoy that luxury!

Here's some pictures from back in July that are mostly from Ian playing t-ball.


And then we went camping for my birthday. We were at the Rice Creek Park Reserve in Lino Lakes, MN. While we really did have a great time for the couple of days we were there, the drunk teenagers across from us on the last night kind of put a dent in things. We ended up calling the police twice and woke up to one of them peeing in Rob's chair at our fire pit at 5:00 in the morning. The pictures are still fun and we plan to go camping again with Uncle Rob next summer.


We also went to the Japanese Lantern Festival at Como in August. The pictures are great, but they just do not do the beauty of this event justice.


These pictures are some random end-of-summer goodies:


Then we come to the Minnesota State Fair. We had a great twelve days of fun and we ended it with the neighborhood breakfast on the last day as we always do. But this year there was a twist - most of us also got fair-dos before we left that morning!


We also have pictures of Ian playing soccer and some from his class during awards day. These are from October.


Last on the list of pictures are the ones from Halloween last night. Taylor was death and Ian was Darth Vader. The weather was great this year!

Como Butterfly Garden, Swimming Lessons & a Rocket Launch

What a crazy busy week it has been in our house. Somehow summer always seems to have a way of doing that, though. We start out with pictures from the Como Butterfly Garden on Wednesday, July 9th. It is a new attraction this summer at the Como Zoo & Conservatory. It was fascinating for the kids, and I really enjoyed trying to get pictures of the different butterflies. We also took some time to go and see some of the animals in the zoo before hitting Como Town once again. We cannot begin to explain how much we love living within walking distance of this wonderful gem of a park.

On Thursday, July 10th I snapped some pictures of the kids during their swimming lessons at the Como Pool. This was the last day in their 1st of two sessions this summer so the teachers were doing a lot of testing to see which children should move up to the next level. Taylor passed with flying colors and Ian's teacher is going to let him try the next level to see how he does. He still has a fear of jumping off of the diving board unassisted, but if you look at the last few pictures of him on the board, the teacher doesn't actually touch him or help in into the water at all. So, we'll see how he does starting tomorrow in the next level.



Next up was the Trioli rocket launch on Saturday, July 11th. The forecast was for sunny skies, temps in the upper 70's (yay!), but winds gusting as high as 40mph. We left early in hopes of getting Panod's new, large rocket up before the winds got too bad, but it was already windy when we got there at about 9:00am. I volunteered to launch my new (first ever) rocket, since it was smaller. Panod has been so patient in helping me build it, and even the kids have taught me so much that they know - I was proud to put it on the launch pad with the other rockets, but I was a little apprehensive that I wouldn't see it again. See, the winds seemed to have a nasty habit of blowing the rockets ever closer to a corn field with plants there were about 3-4' tall. That would make it very hard to find any rocket in if it were to blow into the field - and that's exactly where mine ended up! As I was running to catch my rocket after it launched, I remember the announcer commenting on my fine-looking streamer, and then saying that it looks like my rocket might be the first one we lose today in the corn field. I wandered in that endless sea of corn for 90 minutes after it launched, but eventually I gave up. I got back to the site and announced to Panod and the kids that I had lost my rocket. Sad as it was, I knew it was a possibility when I agreed to do it - and we now knew for sure that Panod was not going to launch his new one. Nobody wanted to risk losing that one! We stayed until about 1:30pm when most everybody that had agreed to launch theirs had - and they were out looking for them in the corn field. lol Panod said he wanted to take a stab at trying to find mine before we had to go, so I started packing up the kids while he searched. Sure enough - after about 30 minutes, he called me on my cell phone to say that he had found it!!! If that's not love, I don't know what is! We were able to get out to the ball fields in Como Park last night when the winds died down to launch Panod's new rocket. It did so well that we ended up launching it twice. Enjoy the pictures.

Finally a Summer Post

It took a while for it to finally feel like summer here. I'm going to use that as part of the reason it has been so long since our last post. There's also the fact that I have ended my spring semester and started my summer semester, the kids have finished up school, and their summer activities have begun.

Our first set of pictures comes from Ian's last days at his school, JJ Hill. His grade put on a play for us all to watch, and then a few days later we were there as his name was called to come and get his kindergarten diploma.


The weekend after school let out, I took the kids camping for a few days. We went to the Bunker Hills campground since it is so close, and we had a blast! I really wish we had brought the camera and taken some pictures, but I'm sure we'll be going camping again this summer and we'll be sure to get some then. If you ever need a close place to the cities to take the kids for a few days, I would highly recommend the campground at Bunker Hills. The sites are clean, big, quiet, and the wave pool was a hit for us.

Our next set of pictures comes from a newly-found family hobby - rockets. Panod and the kids had gone to the monthly meeting back in May, but we all went to the one in June since they had so much fun the last time. Panod, Taylor & even Ian all built rockets to launch on the launch pads that are provided. We also got to watch other rockets launch, and some of them were really, really big. We had so much fun that we are planning another trip next weekend for the July meeting - I'm even going to get in on the fun and launch my own rocket, too!


We did get through Back to the 50's again this year, but we did not get any pictures this time around. Grandpa Bob even paid us a visit that weekend and he really enjoyed the old cars.

June 14th was a big day for us,too. We went to the Star Wars exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. The pictures really tell most of the story, but there is something really scary about a six-year-old who knows the difference between all of the different droids.


And then there are all of the summer activities. These pictures are from a trip to Como Town & a train ride that a neighbor got tickets for and shared with us.


Both Taylor and Ian are involved in swimming again this summer. Taylor is also playing tennis every morning in Langford Park, and Ian is doing t-ball again this year. I will be getting some pictures of those goodies this week to post here. Otherwise, we are all doing well & we hope that your Independence Day was as fun as ours was.

May '08 Raptor Release

We just spent this morning participating in a raptor release at the Hyland Lake Park Reserve in Bloomington. Taylor has been volunteering at the Raptor Center over at the U of MN since September through their RaptorCorps program, and we were all thrilled to be a part of such a fun event. There were Bald Eagles, Hawks and Owls that we could all view before the release. And there was this amazing outdoor playground that the kids got to play on. It was the biggest one Panod and I have seen outdoors.

The three raptors that were released back into the wild were a Cooper's Hawk, and two Red Tailed Hawks. Two of them had been found with broken wings (one of those had been shot!) and one was found ill with parasites. All three were nursed back to health and deemed able to return to the wild.

Panod had been bogged down with work this past week, and I have been swamped with finals in these last two weeks of school with a full load. We are getting through it, though - we are just really looking forward to the slower days that summer will offer us. Oh - and Panod and I are looking forward to a quick one-mile run in downtown this Thursday. Wish us luck on getting good times!

Raptor Release May 2008

PK Does a 10K

You read it right - Panod ran a 10K this weekend. And the weather - well, let's just say that if there was actually a way to explain the weather he had to run in, I would place it somewhere near a hurricane snow storm. The snow that was falling was more like small hail pellets, and the winds were driving it into the racers faces at 40-50mph. It was just awful weather to run in, but he really did not complain at all. He did do his nervous laugh a couple of times in the car after the kids and I pulled up to drop him off, but he braced himself against the wind as he got out of the car, and posed for a quick picture before heading off to the race. The kids and I could not stay for the nearly two-hours that it was going to take for the race to start and Panod to run the course. (Ian had stayed home sick from school the day before, and he was clearly fighting a sinus infection.) So, we took off and had breakfast at the Highland Cafe & Bakery. The food was good (and warm), but all we could think about was how cold poor Panod must be as we watched the winds and snow whip by the windows of the Cafe. We were able to get back to the race and park the car where we could sit in it and watch the racers come across the finish line. We were not able to find Panod in the large crowd, but he called as soon as he got across. He managed to run the race in 1 hour, at a pace of 9:40/mile! We are so proud of him!!
Get in Gear

Taylor's 12th Birthday

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Get your own

I don't think that anyone who has helped make Taylor's day so special can believe that she is already 12. It has been a wonderful day!

I have to rewind to last weekend, first. The weather was beautiful! The neighborhood kids got motivated and they tried to break the world-record for hopscotch. With Taylor and a neighbor at the helm, they were able to get it up to 500! It stretched down the street, around the corner, and around another corner. The best part is that the kids kept making the adults do the hopscotch. The pictures are at the beginning of the birthday album, and they are hilarious.

Yesterday, Panod went ahead and gave Taylor a present a day early. He got her a real rocket! They spent part of the day yesterday putting it together. It was a great lesson for Taylor in following directions, and she did a great job. They finished the rocket today and then they went and fired it off this morning. Everyone was thrilled to see it take-off and land safely (though farther away than they had planned since it was a little windy.) It was also launched again this afternoon, and we were able to get pictures of that one.

After lunch today, the four of us met Grandma, Bumpa, Uncle Rob, Aunt Jen and Cousin Kane at Chuck E Cheese. We spent the afternoon playing games and opening presents. Grandma and Bumpa got Taylor her own fishing pole and a really nice tackle box. She can't wait to use them this summer! And Uncle Rob and Aunt Jen went with the world-record theme and got Taylor an incredible 2008 Guinness World-Records book! The best part is that it has pictures of all of the incredible people and the things that they have accomplished. This is sure to be a huge hit not only for Taylor, but the entire neighborhood gang.

Taylor's last gift was given to her this evening. I was able to track down a gently used unicycle, and I think that she is going to be great at riding it. She has wanted to try and learn how to ride one for a couple of years, and this one presented itself late last week.

Thank you so much to the family and friends that have had a hand in making Taylor's day special. And to those who couldn't make it today, we love you and we think of you often.

Enjoy the pictures.

Mother Nature Has an Interesting Sense of Humor

Yep - that's snow. Eight inches of the wet, slushy stuff fell on Monday & Tuesday (4/01/08), and left us with a mess to clean up on April Fool's Day. The kids are on spring break this week, so the timing has worked out well for them to take full advantage of what will likely be the last snow fall of this winter/spring.

Panod and I got the privilge to go and see the Blue Man Group play on Saturday night, thanks to UrbanPlanet. This was an amazing show! Even though a majority of the group we went with had seen the show in Vegas, we all really enjoyed it. It was humorous, exciting, loud and the opening act, Mike Realm, was fantastic.

Anniversary Roses

It was our anniversary yesterday, and Panod came home with a dozen beautiful roses last night. Unfortunately, I had a horrible A&PII exam today so I ended up focusing on that instead of the celebratory day at hand. But, we're being treated to an evening of Blue Man Group this weekend (thank you UrbanPlanet!)- that will be a blast!

Snow & Bunnies

Taylor & Ian hugging a snowman they made on the parkway today

We have had more snow in the past couple of days than we have had nearly all winter. The greatest part about getting the snow in March is that it always melts within several days.

Today was a day to enjoy an Easter egg hunt, and make a snowman. The Easter egg hunt was held at the Java Train coffee shop - just down the street from our house. Last year the hunt was outside, but this year the eggs were hidden inside of the shop because of the snow. Half of the shop is currently being renovated, and it was a nice open space that worked out well for the kids. The best part was that grandma was able to join us - and she brought the kids bubbles! We all stayed at the coffee shop after the egg hunt, and we ate lunch together. It was nice to hang out with our neighbors, their children, and my mom.

When we got home, the kids and I didn't even go inside. I snowblowed our driveway, the neighbors driveway, the sidewalk - really anything I could find. I have this sick love for snowblowing. My neighbors don't understand it, but they benefit from it so they try not to make too much fun of me. While I was doing that, the kids were busy playing in the snow, and making sure that all of the snow I had just gotten off of the driveway, ended up right back on it, again. When the snowblower finally ran out of gas, we decided to make a mad dash for the parkway and build a snowman. Panod had to be summoned to come and help us get the middle and top pieces on because they were too big for us to lift up.

And here is the easiest pie recipe I've ever made. I gave it try tonight, and it is sooooo good! The recipe calls for a piecrust that is already baked, so I just grabbed a graham cracker crust.

Sugar Cream Pie

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 1/4 cups half-and-half cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix cornstarch and sugar. Add 4 tablespoons butter and half-and-half. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy. Add vanilla.
2. Preheat oven broiler to high.
3. Pour mixture into piecrust. Drizzle 2 tablespoons butter over top and sprinkle with cinnamon. Put under broiler until butter bubbles--watch it carefully as it doesn't take long. Refrigerate.

I got this lovely recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sugar-Cream-Pie-I/Detail.aspx

New Babies, Great Dachshund Video & Snow

I have got to stop drinkin' the water around here! Seriously! Our neighbors across the street had a baby boy last week, and our next-door neighbors had a baby girl early this morning. With all of the other little ones running around here, there is going to be a large group of kids ruling the neighborhood in a couple of years. Many congratulations & sleep vibes going out to the happy new parents.

Panod and I felt it necessary to share this dachshund video on the blog. This is the coolest thing I've seen in a while - and I now want to spend my spring break trying to build one.


I was in touch with our family down in the Atlanta area during the storms over the weekend. The tornado that hit the city was close to them, but everyone is O.K. It sounds like they have shut-down the city today and asked everyone to stay out so that the clean-up can begin. Now that we know the family is O.K., the next question can be asked: is the Varsity still standing?? It is right there near the Olympic Village - ack!

While we are on the topic of the weather, MN is getting a good old fashioned March storm today and tomorrow. It was supposed be mostly rain, but it looks like NOAA has just issued a snow advisory for us. With 3-5 wet inches possible before tomorrow afternoon, that can only mean that chicken and dumplings are going on the stove this afternoon. I'll try and get some pics up tomorrow of the snow, before it all melts away.

Today @ 1:30pm

2008 Minneapolis Auto Show - Lori Breaks a BMW M5 Worth $83,000

I don't know how Panod managed to get it on video, but I seriously tried (not really) to damage one of the sweetest cars on the floor of the 2008 Minneapolis Auto Show this afternoon. I love the BMW M5, and I deeply respect this vehicle and all of its technical glory. That being said, I went and did this....



O.K. - the car is fine. I had gone and hit a button on the roof that popped out and folded down - scaring the crap out of me. The thought of breaking something in that car just about gave me heart-failure! I jumped out and Panod jumped in - only to laugh at me, because I hadn't actually broken anything.

And although Panod and I took two hours to comb through all of the cars together this afternoon, somehow we didn't even make it halfway through the cars on the floor. We had a great time and we got to see most of the cars we were really looking forward to seeing, but I will make sure that more time is set aside for next year. Here are the pictures:

Spring in Como

I know that I had said that I was going to post about the auto show on Wednesday, but WOW - I didn't realize that today was going to be so beautiful! I have to post these pictures a little early. It was nearly 50 degrees out this afternoon! So, the kids and I hit Como Lake for snack time and some mud-stompin'. Panod even joined in the fun when he went for a run around the lake and we all bumped into each other on the path, near the pavilion. I know that in the pictures it looks cold, but believe me - it's a heat wave! Enjoy the pictures....

Spring in Como

Books Galore

It has been unseasonably cold this week here in MN. I had planned on starting to ride my bicycle to school by now, but the cold weather is just lingering. That also means more illness is also lingering in our house. So far, Panod hasn't been graced by this horrible cold bug, but the kids and I have been down and out for the better part of the past week. Ugh!

The kids and I had Friday off of school, so we spent most of that day at the Roseville Public Library. We learned that they are planning on renovating and adding on to the library, which we couldn't be more thrilled about. The kids and I also got some books on how to build tree houses. We are going to try and build one in the biggish maple tree that is in the back yard this summer. That should prove to be fun!

Taylor has been busy writing her first novel in her writing class. She's doing it on wolves, from the perspective of a wolf's daily journal. She has already been able to type up the first three chapters this past week, and we have really been impressed with her ability to convey what she has pictured in her mind.

Ian is really excited about an upcoming trip to the Minnesota Institute of Arts with his class. He has also been enjoying the Magic Tree House & Junie B. Jones series of books. For those of you who know about the school choice thing - we have finally made a decision for him. Ian will be headed to our neighborhood school in the fall. The test scores are wonderful, and we couldn't be happier with our decision. We do wish we could have the kids in the same school for the next two years, but that just wasn't in the cards.

My next post should be about the auto show. I'll be headed out there on Wednesday after class - with the Nikon in one hand, and a thermos of tea in the other. Panod may even join me this time since I'll be headed out there while the kids are still in school.

These pictures are from our day at the Library....

Parent Work Night

Last Thursday evening was parent work night at Ian's school. We all went, and we all enjoyed learning about Ian's classroom. He was so sweet and a little overwhelmed when we first arrived at his classroom, but with some gentle guidance from his teacher, Ian was able to remember what it was he had wanted to show us about where he spends his days learning. Ian showed us some work called vertebrate's, the pink tower, and the movable alphabet. Taylor worked on her homework for most of the time we were there, but she got everything done and Ian showed her around before we had to leave.


Ian is taking out the movable alphabet.






Ian is showing Panod how to use the movable alphabet.



Ian and Taylor are exploring Ian's classroom.

It's official! The XC60 is here...

Anybody who knows me or has had the ability to sneek a peek at my laptop's desktop knows how I feel about the Volvo XC60 concept vehicle, which is anticipated to be released here in the states in 2009. Well, those kind Volvo folks have released pics and specs ahead of the official release of the production vehicle at the auto show in Geneva. Why Geneva? I have no idea. But the pictures are showing me things I was really hoping to see on the production vehicle. Yes, it looks very similar to its cousins - the Mazda 7, & the Ford Edge (A.K.A as the Ford E Coli in Loriland) but it is on the same platform as the Land Rover L2, and the safety technology cannot be beat. This "softroader" has won a special spot in my heart. Now let's just hope that one of the diesel engines can make it all of the way over here, too.

Please click here to read all about the good news on the Autoblog website.

02/28/08 UPDATE -

O.K., I get it now....
From Edmunds Insideline: Geneva Auto Show

"As the first international auto show of the year, the 2008 Geneva Auto Show is guaranteed to feature plenty of notable world debuts. And it's not just the latest from BMW and Mercedes either, as the Geneva auto show is known for its showcase of international designers who bring their latest concept cars to gauge public reaction."

I understand Geneva because a majority of the XC60's sales will not be here in the states, and getting the international opinion on the vehicle is likely crucial to Volvo.

A Lunar Eclipse!

From Moon

Check out the lunar eclipse! We were able to play with the camera enough to get a couple of really fun pictures. The kids had a blast watching the moon disappear tonight.

Kidfest at Como

We also have some pictures from Kidfest over at the Como Zoo this past weekend. There were scavenger hunts, a dance for kids, and a few of the newest baby animals received their names. Ian wanted nothing to do with dancing when we first got there, but he ended up wanting to go back and dance after a while. Taylor on the other hand could have danced the entire day away. She really does a good chicken dance! We also bumped into our neighbors while listening to the Indonesian Performing Arts Association of Minnesota. Joko and his wife, Tri, are very good friends of our neighbors, and Taylor played the Indonesian music she learned from Joko and Tri back in December.

And here's the funny for the day: it was -15 this morning when Taylor and I got out the door at 7:30am to head off to school. Yes, that is a minus sign in front of that 15. That was bad, but it got worse. Cars don't act right when it is that cold out. I don't care if it is a new car or an old car - it is going to let you know that it doesn't like that much cold. My car decided to turn on the windshield wipers by itself! Better yet, THEY WOULDN'T TURN OFF! Now, when it is that cold out and your wipers are going while you are trying to drive and your car hasn't really warmed up yet, you end up getting a very smudged windshield. I couldn't see anything and I had to pull over! It was so bad! No matter what I did they just kept on going... until I turned on my right turn signal. Silly me - I should have known!? And after I got out of class today, I called Panod to tell him what my car had done - only to have him tell me a similar story about his truck! Cars hate the cold just as much as we do.

Happy Valentine's Day '08

We woke up to two inches of snow on the ground this morning. Taylor and I are rushing around to get out the door since it will probably take longer to get to our schools with the snow - but it is beautiful. The four of us somehow got through the making of 66 valentines last night for the kids to take to school today! And I have a test on the lab portion of my A & PII class today -- it's on the heart, of course. Happy V Day to you & yours.

Check out this fun link on Neatorama. All these cool things remind me of my test today!

What a Handsome Bunch!

This picture of all of the UrbanPlanet kids was taken during the annual UP Super Bowl party by Panod's boss, who also happens to be very skilled at photography. (Hint- the cupcakes were not consumed until after this picture was taken.)

Valentine’s Day Soiree at Como

The four of us braved the -5 temperature outside tonight to head on over to the Valentine’s Day Soiree at the Como Conservatory. We have never been to it before, but I think we'll plan on going again next year. It is so wonderful to walk into the warm and tropical areas and get a reminder of what summer not only feels like, but also what it smells like. But for a special treat, the Valentine's Day Soiree occurs during the evening when the conservatory is usually closed, and the paths are all lit with candles!

Kane Has Good News!

My nephew has something he wants to share with you...

So Much to Update!

We would like to share some of the things we have been up to since the last Aug. post. I'm going to post some links to pictures and we have even evolved into movies as well!

We had my brother & his wife celebrate their little guy's second birthday back in October...

Kane Turns 2

And then there was Ian's class trip to the HANC Nature Center in Roseville...

HANC - JJ Hill

The kids and I picked out pumpkins before Halloween...

Halloween Pumpkins

Ian had his first day of hockey...

Ian's Hockey

Taylor had an incredible performance of Indonesian music - performed by the 6th graders...

Taylor Indonesia

Taylor had her piano recital...

Taylor's Piano Recital

Here are some pictures from Christmas...

Christmas 07

I took a trip to Atlanta with my mom to see our family for a few days, just after Christmas...

Atlanta 07

Ian had his 6th birthday in January...

Ian's 6th Birthday

Taylor and I celebrated the winter carnival by taking a look at the snow sculptures. We also tried snowboarding for the first time, but we didn't get any pictures of that. That's good, because we were really, really bad at it. I think we've decided to stick with what we know we are good at - skiing!

Winter Carnival 2008

The kids are doing very well in school. Taylor had her science fair and has been working very hard at piano. Ian has been working very hard on his reading and writing, and he has been doing some impressive work at hockey this winter in the Mighty Kids program. Panod's job is going strong this year (YEA!), and I have changed schools and majors. (Better to do it now rather than changing in the middle of a program.) I'm now at St. Paul College, and I am enrolled in the nursing program.

Here are some of the videos we've shot recently. They are all of Ian, so we'll be sure to get some up of Taylor, too.






That's about it for us!