We have to start with the updated state fair pics - if you click on the picture link in the blog posted before this one, you'll get all of our state fair pictures. I just added the new pictures to the album that is already there, so it is all updated and ready for your viewing pleasure.
With that being said, the fair is finally over! Every year we start talking about the big event in Feb. or March. Then we get to day 7 or 8 of the fair and we are sooooooo ready to be done. The kids are ready to be done by then too - until we remind them that school starts the day after the fair ends. While the extra income is nice, and having beer and cheese curds for breakfast is swell, the best part of the whole darn thing really is our neighbors. I feel like we grow closer to them every year and in that sense it never gets old.
Whew! Getting heavy here and I haven't even gotten to the first day of school yet!
I originally named this photo album 'Ian's First Day of School', but then I remembered that we also have got a picture of
Both of the kids have had a very smooth first week at their new schools.
Ian's first day was on Thursday and Panod took a ton of pictures. I was unable to be there for the big morning, and it was actually a good thing - once I saw the pictures of Ian while I was at work that morning, I started crying a little! lol I would have been a basket case if I'd actually been there. *sniff* As for Ian - he's been amazing! He really seems motivated to learn, and to please his teachers & his peers. We've also come to realize that there is a strong possibility that he may be left-handed, which is a surprise. He's able to use the mouse to the computer right-handed with no problem, but when he goes to write or draw the pencil goes in the left hand.
This weekend has primarily been about catching up on sleep. We're all still getting used to being up so early and the sleeping-in was a hit in our house. This morning we all got up and made some brunch before we headed off to the Science Museum of Minnesota. I was able to get four free passes through the
That's about all that's happening in our little neck of the woods. Take care, thanks for reading, and enjoy the pictures.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Fall Has Settled In
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
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!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
State Fair Here We Come!
Pictures! Pictures! All hail Picasa!! Just click the picture below and it will take you to the pictures from the past week. Enjoy!
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.
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
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.
Monday, August 07, 2006
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!!
Sunday, July 23, 2006
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!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
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
Wednesday we bolted to the beach at
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
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
Tip of the week:
I learned that 400 lbs. is actually extremely heavy this weekend.