The Great Minnesota Get Together!

It is finally upon us! The Minnesota State Fair has arrived in our little neck of the woods. That can only mean one thing: if it's edible we should batter it, deep fry it and then shove it on a stick and charge $6 for it. We are talking fried macaroni on a stick, fried hot dish on a stick, fried candy bar on a stick, teriyaki ostrich on a stick, fried alligator on a stick (all of which we've tried and enjoyed).... you get the idea. The four of us have spent the past six days marooned here at home while we park cars. The kids did get out for an afternoon last Saturday with grandma. They hit McDonald's and a movie and it sounds like they had a blast. We also spent a majority of the day yesterday in the fair. It did rain a good majority of the time we were there, but that kept the crowds away and were pleased with that part of it. The one thing I'd like to go to again with the kids when we go on Thursday is the birthing barn. It was sooooo great! We were watching a cow give birth, but she was having a hard time pushing and we were having a hard time seeing - even with all of the large tv screens they have in there. We will try it again and see if we have more success.

We have had some interesting nights here - mostly just on the weekends with people who have had too much to drink. Otherwise, we are getting to meet so many fun people from so many walks of life. If the fair didn't symbolize the end of summer so much, I'd love it more than Christmas!

The pictures we've gotten so far are not the best and there are not that many since we've had so much rain - it makes it hard to keep the camera out and ready. But the rest of the week looks sunny and I expect to finally put the camera to use the next couple of days. The link to the pictures is just below here - enjoy!

State Fair

Aug 24, 2006 - 49 Photos

State Fair Here We Come!

Update 8/21/2006 @ 9:17pm:

Pictures! Pictures! All hail Picasa!! Just click the picture below and it will take you to the pictures from the past week. Enjoy!

Thomas & T-Ball

Aug 13, 2006 - 18 Photos

The four of us have just spent an entire weekend cleaning the house and the garage in preparation for the Minnesota State Fair! It starts this Thursday and there is sooooo much to be done!!! First thing - I have to point you in the direction of the State Fair web site. Taylor is pictured on the home page with the gopher, and the same picture is currently being published in the State Fair guide that everyone gets as they pass into the gates of the fair! Yes, she is thrilled to be famous, as she puts it! lol

Next line of business - we have got a good number of pictures to put up, but neither blogger or kodak gallery are in the mood to let me get them up right now! Most of them are from last weekend when we spent A Day Out with Thomas over in Stillwater. We got the tickets back in May in hopes of surprising Ian & it really worked! The kid was in heaven! Even Taylor had a blast on the train ride and meeting Sir Topum Hat. I will try to get the pictures up again tomorrow afternoon, so please check back to see if they are up.

There are a few more pictures from Ian's t-ball last Monday. It was supposed to be his last one, but they still have one more to make-up tomorrow for when they missed one due to bad weather. It was a kids vs. parents ball game, and while the parents were tough, the kids eventually proved to be too much. The kids won 9-0 last I'd heard!

As for posting during the State Fair - ideally I'd like to post every couple of nights, but more than likely I may not have time to post until around this time a week from now. We are planning on going on Monday (in a week) for our first time in, so we'll have some fun pictures to share. I hope to hear from some of you that you are planning on stopping by! We really do enjoy seeing the familiar faces of our family and friends.

Take care & be well.

A summer vacation with a surprise ending

I know that my over exhausted mind will not be able to type up the happenings of the last week in a manner that will do it justice, so hang in there with me...

Last weekend (7/30) we took off for a fun-filled week of camping in a tent at William O'Brien State Park! As excited as we were, the 110+ heat index kind of put a damper on our enthusiasm, but we pushed ahead. And we packed fans. We also knew that it was expected to rain for a day or two while we planned to be out there, so we also packed a large tarp, warm clothes, books, card games, and yes, even the gameboy and dvd player. We may have cheated a little, but I think that everyone really had a good time. The one full day that we were there during the heat was Monday. We ended up retreating the 45 minutes back home that morning in the air conditioned van to pick up the lantern we had forgotten to pack and some firewood we had sitting in the shed. After that, we spent the rest of the day at the water park at Wild Mountain, about 45 minutes north of the camp site. Taylor went on every single water slide - she even did the speed slide!! Ian went on every slide but the speed slide, but he really enjoyed the water playground and lazy river the most. Panod and I also had a great time and by the time we got back to the camp site that night, we were too tired to care about how hot it had been earlier that day. That night and on into Wednesday morning it rained. A lot. I heard estimates of 5 inches after we got back home!! We did manage to stay pretty dry and warm. Tuesday was my birthday and we just enjoyed the cool rain, and made spaghetti for dinner on the screen porch. Panod and kids also managed to find a way to get me some really cool toys for my bike as presents. And since I've been riding into work this summer, I couldn't wait to put them to use! Wednesday gave way to cooler temps and blue skies, so we did a lot of hiking, biking and swimming the rest of the week. We had some unexpected visitors pay us a visit in our porch and just outside the tent a couple of nights - raccoons!! We knew enough to throw out our trash at night and put the food in the car to try and keep them away, but they still had to come and make sure that there really wasn't anything to eat. But the bats we would see at night were cool and Panod and Ian got to watch a toad eat a bug! Saturday afternoon we headed back home. Back to voicemail, email, snailmail & satellite. Little did I know what was brewing....

Sunday was, in my mind, a day to catch up on laundry, do some grocery shopping and maybe even grab a quick nap on the couch before mowing the lawn and grilling out some dinner while we got caught up with our neighbors. I really had no idea. I really thought that Panod had gotten me up from my nap on the couch because he had a serious craving for fish tacos over at Se Salt in Minnehaha Park. And he wanted to bring the ladder ball. And Taylor wanted to bring the camera. I really must have been half asleep, because I still didn't get it. It wasn't until we walked through the pavilion and I saw my family & our neighbors that I got it! SURPRISE! They got me! And I understand that Panod was the ring leader!! Even Taylor had known since before we left to go camping! How Panod, my family and the neighbors all pulled it off is beyond me. I really did enjoy having everyone come and celebrate! Thank you! Thank you!

Now for the fun part - you can look through the camping pictures and the party pictures here. Enjoy and thanks for reading!!

Sand Lake 2006

*Click here for all of the pics we took*

*Click here for the Dave & Mary's pics*

*Click here for the Bill & Cathy pics*


There are few things in our lives that tell us that it is definitely summer like the annual Urbanplanet Sand Lake retreat. We have discovered that though the drive may be long, the water - like the beer - is always cool and refreshing. Not to mention that the company is always good, too!

Our drive up Friday afternoon was uneventful, quiet and quick - just the way we love it! We did stop in Hinckley for a quick potty break, but didn't stop again until we reached our destination. We were pleasantly surprised to find that a majority of the UP crew had already arrived and that the rest were on their way. Usually not everyone is able to get there until Saturday afternoon, so it was nice to see everyone a day early! Taylor and Ian ran off with the kids while Panod (a.k.a. PK) and I set up camp. By the time we got the tent up the food was already flyin'! I can honestly say that the grazing pace that the food is rolled out for the masses to feed on is one of the coolest ideas I've been able to experience. Think of it like a buffet that changes every couple of hours and everyone takes turns prepping something that they brought to share.

Saturday started off early with some sunshine and very little wind. I had discovered the night before that my allergies seem to get worse up north, so I darted off to the nearest Target first thing that morning to grab my favorite pill to battle my throbbing and drippy face. I was able to get back to David & Mary's and find that both kids had already been swimming and that the ladderball had been fired up. The afternoon continued with kids playing, games of ladderball going on, swimming off and on, and eating - lots of eating! Then everything involving the children came to a halt when the word _TUBING_ was brought up! We have no idea how Dave & Mary managed to get every single kid a turn at tubing - Peter even got to go skiing! Those on the boat had a blast, those that were tubing were returned unharmed and smiling, and those of us on the shore had a great time watching it all.

Saturday night was pretty much a blur for me once the medicine I had taken earlier in the day wore off. I clearly remember the kids making smores, but not much beyond that. I ended up curling up in bed with Toby and the kids while Panod stayed up and did the sauna thing. On the way home today we both talked about the fact that I am going to be kicking myself for the next year that I didn't stay up and sauna with everyone! There is nothing like sitting in a hot room until you can't take it anymore, dashing out the door and into the freezing cold lake while screaming like the loons on the other side of the lake!

Sunday we welcomed in the day with a ton of pancakes, egg bake, sausage, & donuts. That was quickly followed by more ladderball, swimming, reading, and kids playing. We started to pack up and head out later on in the afternoon about the same time as everyone else & we made the trip back here to the cities in just over three and a half hours! That's record time for us!

A few quick notes before I finally head off to bed:

* Stray dogs don't care about the screen placed between them and the dog food inside the screen porch. Next time, we'll keep the food in the van.

* Mosquitoes love Ian's little forehead!

* Taylor is scary good at ladderball

* Getting stung in the eye lid by a bee is horrible, but five year old girls are stronger than that dumb ol' bee!

More Summer Activities

This week the kids have really kept us busy! On Monday, Grandma got to come along with me and Panod to see Ian play t-ball and Taylor run track. The kids really enjoyed having an extra audience member & we enjoyed the added adult conversation. We watched as all of the little guys Ian plays with as they got divided up into teams. They were divided into several different color groups and I was hoping that Ian got on the yellow team, because I love it when he says, "lellow." Hehe - he got on the lellow team! And we watched as Taylor ran her heart out at track later on that evening. We cannot believe that Taylor's last week of track is this week and this Tuesday will be their last swimming lesson! The summer is flying by so quickly!

Wednesday we bolted to the beach at Turtle Lake with our floaties and a packed lunch in tow. Even Toby came with us and jumped in the water a few times. This was one of the times I was so torn between bringing the camera to take pics of the kids, or not bringing it since I wouldn't be able to keep a close eye on it all of time. Grrrrr! I caved in and left it at home. Better to leave it at home and have it around to take pictures another day, than to risk it and have it lost. But take my word for it - the kids were as cute as ever in their swim suits and floaties!

Thursday was a fun morning for Panod and the kids - they went to Choo Choo Bob's on Marshall & Cleveland. We had received a flyer from them stating that there were going to be free train movies showing at the Riverview in Minneapolis this Saturday, but that we would have to go to CCB's to get the tickets. Easy enough! The tickets were retrieved and many a train was played with before they left.

Saturday morning was about as fun as it gets. All four of us headed off to the Riverview to see the free train movies with the tickets that Panod and kids had gotten. The movies were a blast - there was Casey Jones, Thomas, Donald the Duck with Chip & Dale, old black & whites.... everything! And the place was pretty packed, too! There were so many families with four-year-olds dressed in Thomas shirts in tow - it really was cute. It sounds like the Riverview did this during the time slot that they usually have Saturday morning story time, but they will be returning to story time after this Saturday. We may have to try that out, but I have a feeling that it might not be as big of a hit as the train movies were.

It has been very hot here the past several days - the humidity alone reminds me of Atlanta! We reached 100 degrees here at our house yesterday, but some clouds kept the temp. today down in the 90's. Tomorrow should bring some relief with a drop in humidity.


Tip of the week:
I learned that 400 lbs. is actually extremely heavy this weekend.

Ian at t-ball on Monday in his lellow team shirt
"Gooooooo t-ball!!"
Ian going off of the diving board on Tuesday
The neighborhood gang
We really don't know what's with the goggles - but it sure is funny!
Taylor & Ian riding through the sprinkler

4th of July!

This past week has really been a blast!

Thursday night after swimming, Taylor, Ian and I went to Central Park in Roseville at about 8:30pm. They were showing Madagascar on a large projection screen in the outdoor amphitheater! We brought popcorn and juice & we curled up in blankets together and enjoyed the show. There were about 20-30 other families there, too.

The kids and I spent the day on Friday at the beach. The weather here reached 91 degrees and there wasn't anywhere else to be but in the water. We went to the beach at Snail Lake Park Reserve because the sandy beach is one of the bigger ones around here, and we must have seen four or five LNFI families there that Taylor knew! It was good for her to see some familiar faces & she even carried on a few French conversations!

Saturday and Sunday were spent working on the yard and getting ready for the upcoming holiday. We did spend a few evenings sitting out with the neighbors, chatting and laughing about life.

Monday night we all went down to watch the fireworks that the Taste of Minnesota puts on down by the river over here in St. Paul. We drove the van close enough to see the show, but far enough away that we didn't have deal with a large crowd once the fireworks were over. It really was a nice display & we hope to get a little closer next year.

Tuesday, we all woke up early and packed up the van with tables, chairs, games, food and the grill. We set out for a day just down the street in St. Anthony Park. The best part was that we were joined by family and neighbors after the morning parade. There were hot dogs, ladder ball games (we learned that getting the ball in the tree is not actually 15 points), frisbee, the kids played on the playground, and the best part was watching the kids run the races! All of the family left around 4:30pm, and the four of us decided to stay at the park and grill out our dinner before heading over to Roseville for the fireworks. I ran home and got Toby since he had been in his kennel most of the day. When we got back to the park, we saw another doxie and decided to go and let Toby say hi. We asked the owner of the other doxie if Toby could say hi to his little guy and as soon as I set Toby down, the other doxie tried to take Toby's head off! It was a good thing that I had a good hold of Toby and was able to pull him up right away, but poor Toby was terrified! The kids were terrified! We were all scared of this other little wiener dog! LOL! We were also afraid that Toby had hurt his foot in the altercation, because he was limping around for a bit afterwards. But about an hour later he was back to running around on his leash and even got to say hi to some other dogs that were very nice to him.... one was even named Taylor!

Ian didn't have t-ball, and Taylor didn't have track on Monday, and there was no swimming on Tuesday. Taylor did have track yesterday and I was able to get some pictures of both of the kids. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

This is the tower that the boy scouts build every year and put in the parade on the 4th of July

Here is the beginning of the kids with the decorated bikes at the end of the parade. Ian and Taylor want to do this next year!

Here's Panod, Taylor and Ian just after the parade

Taylor, Panod and Ian playing ladder ball

Here's Mark, Ian, Taylor, Grandma, Kane, Aunt Jen and Uncle Rob

Kanerpants!

Kane, Rob, Taylor, Ian and Panod

Ian doing the penny pick-up for his age group

Ian after he finished racing in his age group - he LOVED it!

Taylor's age group had to race backwards! (She's in between the two adults closest to the camera)

Aunt Jen & Kane

Taylor running in track last night

Ian riding his bike last night, while Taylor ran track

Pictures Galore!

I think that I forgot to mention the fact that I was starting a new schedule at work in my last post. I'll be working early in the morning in order to accommodate our new schedule in the fall - but it seems to be hampering my efforts to do much of anything after the kids are in bed because I'm so tired. Blogging seems to have taken a back seat this past week, but I think I'm getting used to the schedule now & will try to post in the afternoons from now on.

This past week was filled with Taylor doing track, Ian doing t-ball, both of them doing swimming lessons, landscaping the front yard, parking cars during Back to the 50's this weekend, a neighborhood party on Sunday afternoon & finally a parade in Roseville yesterday!

Taylor is just amazing at track! She seems to be right in the middle as far as the age group of her peers, but she's one of the fastest and most competitive girls out there. She is still enjoying the relay races the best.

Ian and the t-ball - it was hilarious! Panod was able to come and watch all of these 3-5 year olds interact with one another and learn how to play ball. There is one coach, about 10 adult helpers, and nearly 24 kids! They are going to be broken down into 4 teams of 6, and they will be playing one another every Monday until mid August. Ian is very good at hitting the ball, he seems to be catching on to running the bases, and still needs some work on catching the ball in his glove. He really did love it and has been walking around for the past week shouting, "1-2-3 Gooooo T-BALL!"

Both Taylor and Ian have shown so much improvement in their swimming skills since last year! I was blown away at how easily they jumped into the pool, listened to their teachers and Taylor even got to bump up a class to the level 3's! Ian's class is very large, but his teachers seem to do very well with all of them. He is working on putting his face in the water and making bubbles, and Taylor is working on turning, not lifting her head while doing the crawl stroke.

I really had to do the landscaping in the front of the house. It had been a large pile of dirt since construction started on our street over a year ago. They finished up the construction project back in May of this year, and I have had a pile of dirt sitting in the front of the house ever since. One of our neighbors was nice enough to hear that we were looking for a specific type of rock to do the landscaping with, and he was able to get some for us from his job and delivered right to our front yard for free! (He's being repaid with homemade dinners & pies from Cafe a la Lori) I got busy on Friday morning and was putting the finishing touches on it by Friday night. The plants in the picture are all perennials and will come back every year. Most are spring blooming and it will probably take about 3 summers for it to look the way we would like. Grand total for the project: $24 for the plants and pea gravel!

Back to the 50's was this weekend and it always means a neighborhood party while we park cars on Saturday. Friday was the night to sit out on Snelling and watch all of the 11,000+ old cars stream out of the main gates. Over the years we have learned that if you yell at the ones you like you will likely get a wave, a honk, and the scream of the hot rod burning his tires for you! We all had a blast, even though it did start to rain after a while.

Now if you've never been to the Roseville parade - you haven't been to a parade! It's that amazing! It goes on for nearly 4 hours!! The kids and I will usually drive down Lexington Ave. about 4:00pm and stop to drop off a blanket and chairs in order to make sure that we have a spot saved for us when the parade starts at 6:30pm. This year, we brought our dinner to eat while we waited for it to start and some goodie bags to catch all of the candy and goodies that get tossed at us as the parade goes by. Taylor and I got so tickled at Ian because every time a float would go by with the beauty queen winners for local cities, Ian would wave and jump up and down until a the pretty ladies smiled and waved back at him!

That's about all I can think of for now.... enjoy the pictures & thanks for reading!

Ian running the bases at t-ball

Ian hitting the ball

Ian running to me after t-ball

Ian on Panod's shoulders while we watch Taylor run track

Taylor is on the far left of this picture

Taylor is really hard to see here, but she's towards the middle

Taylor is finishing

Taylor!

Ian getting into the pool with his teacher

Ian kicking

Taylor swimming with the floaties

Taylor & Ian

Taylor jumping off of the diving board

Sorry - I have to include some pictures from Back to the 50s this weekend

Have some car with your rear tires!

This one and the one below it were two of the nicer paint jobs we saw that night

O.K. - so it isn't a car, but it was still cool!

Taylor & Ian are running back to tell me that they can see the beginning of the parade

Taylor and Ian waving at the fire fighters

This little guy was dressed for the parade!

The landscaping in the front yard that was done on Friday