No Barking Allowed

New Blog is up!

2009-09-29T21:57:00.001-05:00

Bookmark our new site. We finally got a our actual website installed and you can read all the news at www.nobarkingallowed.com.

See your there!

Puppy Update

2009-09-14T20:21:00.001-05:00

Puppy has been found!!! Someone picked him up at Nana & Papa's church (where we thought he went missing) and left him at the church. Nana & Papa went back up to look the other night and there he was. I think Karla was more relieved than Jakson.

Labor Day Snapshots

2009-09-10T21:37:00.006-05:00

Here are a few shots of what our Labor Day weekend was like. We spent a few days in Sioux City and then Monday here in SF at a few parks.

We started on Friday by picking our first watermelon of the season. It was pretty, almost ripe and it tasted OK. You can see Aesa's rear-end - she's a notorious cucumber picker. She finds smaller ones and picks them right of the vine.

On Saturday Karla and I went golfing, and took Jakson along. Here he is teeing off on a par 3 and I think he made it 4 or 5 (he beat Karla on that hole too)

Saturday was the Art Splash festival down by the river. Jakson got to make some neat projects. Here he is making a sand candy tube. Nothing like flavored sugar and 5 year olds!

I have been spending time with Jakson outside, catching bugs, frogs, snakes (that's right Nana - snakes...) He took some time during our golfing to nab some grass-hoppers. He isn't afraid to try and get some bugs.

I don't think Kamryn touched the ground with Papa around. She spent some quality time with her pappy.

Nana and Papa celebrated 45 years of wedded bliss on Sunday. Quite a feat anymore, so kudos to them. We helped them celebrate by eating at Kahills from Sunday brunch. Always tasty.

Sunday also marked the end of an era. We lost the blue puppy! After 5 years of nearly constant companionship - Jakson misplaced his puppy (in church we think) and we have yet to find him. We do have puppy's twin brother still - but I don't think it's quite the same. Jakson is taking it like a big boy, but we are kinda bummed - it's been a lot of places. We're hoping someone found it and will return it, but have accepted that that may never happen. (that's also why we bought a set of bunnies for Kamryn just in case.)

Cool Weather = s'mores

2009-08-30T21:55:00.007-05:00

Since we have had unusually cool weather for August, we took the opportunity to fire up the pit and make some tasty s'mores.

Karla and Kamryn getting comfortable.

"Ho-hum....I'm sleepy and so comfy in my blanket...."

"Oooh - did someone say s'mores!?!?!?!?"

We've had to dismantle the playset temporarily to get some replacement parts, so the slide now makes a handy canoe. I'm just thankful it's not my kid making the funny face. That's the next door kids Kai and Kyra.

More Kamryn

2009-08-12T22:24:00.012-05:00

Sorry - it has been almost 3 weeks since Kamryn was born and we haven't been very prompt at adding new blogs posts of anything. There is so much going on in August that it's been hard to just sit down and write. Jakson starts school on Monday, the garden is starting to take over, plus all the other day to day stuff just gets in the way! Anyway - out little girl had her first bath (real bath) the other night.

Kamryn didn't seem to mind getting undressed - unsual since she normally screams at getting her diaper changed. "Um - mom - I'm not so sure about this - this isn't just washing my hair...should we be doing this?!?!?!?"

"Ahhhh-this feels good! Mom - you can do this all day long...."

"Wait? What? - I don't like this - what are you doing!?!?!?"

Jakson loves his little sister - except when she cries. he wanted to watch but not listen.

All snuggled and clean in my little chick towel.

A few pics of Kamryn

2009-07-24T14:39:00.006-05:00

A few hours old.
Not too big and not too small....

Jakson is a proud big brother.

Kamryn Rae Santi

2009-07-23T13:26:00.003-05:00

Little sister arrived today at 11:39am. Full head of hair and all 10 fingers and toes. Karla did great and only had to push once! At 7lbs 11oz - Kamryn is a healthy size and is happy and content. I'll post pictures later once we get settled into the suite upstairs.

Jakson's Birthday Party

2009-07-13T20:57:00.007-05:00

This past weekend we hosted Jakson's birthday party since the week of his actual birthday will probably prove hectic and busy with the arrival of his little sister. We had invited 12 of his friends, and 5 could come so it was a good size group for the day. He decided he wanted a "Hot Wheels" themed party, and it turned out to be pretty cool. We rented a jumper/bouncy play set (one of those inflatable doohickeys) for the kids to jump around, plus the swing set, and Jakson' numerous other toys provided good entertainment. Karla and I made a yummy chocolate cake and we had "octane" juice for the kids. Here are some of the pictures:

I made candy race cars and this neat tank (my favorite) out of gum and various other goodies

This was the spread outside. We are lucky enough to have some nice neighbors who had this picnic table and canopy we could borrow. The weather was perfect Saturday.

Here is Jakson and one of his best friends Cade jumping around.

Jakson got all the candles in one breath. (Notice he has the girls sitting by him Lyjona and Kyra)

There was no shortage of help opening presents.

Here is Jakson's cake and the Pit Passes (name tags)

We had a lot of fun. I can honestly say I think I had as much fun jumping around in the bouncy bus (yes it was a bus - the monster truck was taken already) as the kids did. We had it most of the weekend. Jakson is excited to actually turn 5 next week, although if you ask him now he'll tell you he's already 5.

Visit to the Dairy Farm

2009-07-09T22:16:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago a local dairy was having an open house so we decided to expose Jakson to the experience. We didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be a great little trip. Here are a couple pics from the excursion:

Here I was trying to explain how the milking process worked. It would have been easier if the cows were present.

Jakson's second breakfast of the morning. Free milk and fresh real butter for the pancakes... yum! The pancake feed was sponsored by Land-O-Lakes - we had no idea this was part of the open house!

Overall, Jakson learned a lot and it was a beautiful morning to visit the farm. Plus, you can't beat a free learning experience (and breakfast).

Summer Swimming Lessons

2009-07-07T22:54:00.005-05:00

This summer, Jakson was enrolled in the Pre-K class for swimming lessons. He had a blast! He really loves the water. You can see him in the picture below with the fair skin (a not-so-fortunate gift from me) and red swim shorts.

The class focused on the basics like making "ice-cream scoop" motions with your arms and not being afraid to put your head in the water. Jakson spent most of the class diving under the water to show off. Unfortunately, he thinks he can actually swim, so we're very cautious with him in the pool to remind him of his lack of buoyancy. Below, he's in front of the blue frog smiling wide. He passed the class and gets to move to the next level next year!

Camping Trip '09

2009-07-01T18:29:00.005-05:00

Last month we were able to take a little camping trip to Split Rock Creek park in Jasper, MN. It's not too far from here, but worlds away from our usual routine. We slept in a tent and "roughed it" for a weekend. We lucked out and had perfect weather with no wind and few bugs. Someone was definitely watching out for me that weekend. Here's a pic of our campsite (and Aesa):

We were able to do some hiking and fishing. Here's Jayson giving Jakson some pointers:
Jakson can actually cast quite well - he's got a kid's reel that he's gotten the hang of. He was a bit impatient, but got in the groove one night when the little bullheads kept nibbling on his worms and kept his bobber busy.

Overall, the trip was a great time. I hope Jayson can take Jakson another time before Kindergarten starts (only 6 weeks away - they start mid-Aug here in SD). It's trips like this that make me really miss my dad. He would have loved to take his grandson fishing and tell fish stories! We went camping a lot as kids, albeit in an air-conditioned camper with a bathroom & kitchen... now that is my style of camping!

Summer is here!

2009-07-01T18:11:00.004-05:00

Before I dig in sharing the camping trip details from a few weeks ago, I thought I'd share that I am sitting on our patio with my laptop enjoying the beautiful weather this evening. Jakson is over at the neighbors playing with their kids and I'm keeping an inconspicuous eye on them. I just looked over and he is now shirtless, so I'm not exactly sure what he's up to (trying to impress the girls, I guess). Jayson is out golfing at his Wed. night Men's league. Here's a live pic of me, courtesy of Photo Booth and my MacBook Pro's built-in camera:

I'm due in a few weeks, but Lil' Sis is measuring at around 6 lbs, 7 oz. already. Not sure I'll make it to the week of the 20th. Getting a bit nervous about traveling to Sioux City this weekend and throwing a birthday party for Jakson next weekend. Hopefully, she'll be content in there for a couple more weeks at least. We had another ultrasound yesterday and she seems to be healthy with no issues with her growth, which could have been the case with my blood clotting disorder. We're thankful things have been smooth thus far. Let's hope things continue that way!!

Blog Status

2009-06-26T15:43:00.005-05:00

I guess it's now my job to post out here on the blog. I'm not good at keeping up with Facebook or this blog, but maybe I'll have a bit more time to devote to it after a few more weeks pass. I am also currently in the process of moving our blog to a different blogging platform and a new domain name (not that any of you care what that is or means). What it essentially means is that it will be soon found at http://www.nobarkingallowed.com and will have a bit different design.

Not sure if you guys remember this site: http://jaksonhenry.com Man, Jakson really had some red hair!! As you can see, I think I was able to maintain that site for Jakson's first year. It is a lot of work!! I'm not sure Lil' Sis will get one at all... we'll have to play that by ear. I'll at least update the blog to keep you all in the loop!

Lil Sis

2009-06-10T22:41:00.007-05:00

Here are a few scans of Jakson's little sister-to-be. These are not from the latest ultrasound that we had last week, but from the month before. She was being stubborn and pressing her face against the placenta which caused a kind of "blobby" picture of her. In these pics, you can see her umbilical cord is right next to her face... so that is what that odd looking thing by her mouth is.

I see the my OB doctor every two weeks now and I'll see the perinatologist for another ultrasound in a couple weeks. We've had a lot of ultrasounds this time around, so it is really neat to see her grow. Last week, according to her measurements, she weighed 3 lbs 15oz. Right on track... so far so good.

In other news, Jakson has been putting in some time on his bike. We wanted to raise up his training wheels, but apparently on his Trek bike you have the option of "on" or "off". Kind of a bummer considering we had to search high and low for a bike that actually fit his smaller frame.

Jakson is also the proud new owner of his own set of golf clubs! He was sooo excited! We took him out golfing last Friday night. As you can see in the photo below, we'll need to work on his technique a bit, but he can crack the ball pretty good for a 4 year old.

Here he is taking a few pointers from Jayson:

Jakson also took a field trip to a Canaries baseball game this week. He had a good time, although probably not as fun as going with Nana & Papa, who let him eat whatever he wants and play on the inflatables. That's what grandparents are for, right?

This upcoming weekend is our camping trip, so I'm sure we'll have some new pics to share soon. Let's hope for good weather!

Mother's Day to Memorial Day

2009-05-31T21:59:00.006-05:00

Since I never participate in posting to the blog, Jayson has handed me the assignment of updating the blog from Mother's Day to Memorial Day. Normal bloggers would have a post for each interesting event as it occurs, but you'll have to accept a condensed summary of what we've been up to for the last month.

We have been traveling all over the place lately... it seems like we're never here. We were able to spend Mother's Day here at home, however, and the boys treated me to a special breakfast at Spezia after chuch. They hand-made me a cool stepping stone with Jakson's hand prints and some beautiful stained glass pieces. Below is a picture of me and my boy that morning.

Jakson had been looking forward to helping to plant the garden for a long time. Jayson had been planning what we're going to plant this year for quite some time and also took some suggestions from our little gardener. This year, they planted corn, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, sweet peppers, a pot of strawberries, lettuce and watermelon. We've already seen some of the crops peek through the dirt, so Jakson is getting pretty excited to see them grow larger.

Something else the boys are really looking forward to is an upcoming camping trip! We're going in June to a campground not terribly far from here, but worlds away from our usual routine. There is a swimming beach, fishing, a playground, hiking and of course the best part.... smores and cooking out over the fire. We went on a field trip to check out campsites (online shopping for campsites just doesn't cut it) and the picture below was taken on that crisp, Spring day.

Most recently, we've taken a couple trips back to Owatonna, MN where my mom and my sister & her family live. It never fails we end up going there two weekends in a row. The first trip back was to attend my neices dance recital. They both go to the dance acadamy that I attended for 15 years, so it is interesting to see how the styles of dance have changed over the years. The second trip back was over Memorial Day weekend where we tackled Mom's to-do list around her house. Owatonna had a really nice little parade on Memorial Day and the weather was perfect! Jakson enjoyed it and even scored a little flag to wave! We had a good time, but were exhausted after the long "vacation".

We spent this past weekend at home!!! Yay! We were able to tackle a few things on our own list... planted a few new bushes, planted flowers in all our outside pots, finished some projects we had started and dug into a few more. We also were able to catch a movie - we went and saw Disney's "Up" in 3-D. Great movie! We also had some old friends from Lincoln, NE stop by our house this morning for a quick visit.

Tomorrow we're headed back to the perinatologist for an ultrasound to check to make sure our Baby Girl is growing OK. Since this time around I am labeled "high risk" due to my blood clotting disorder, we've had lots of ultrasounds and gotten to see her in 3-D too.... that is pretty cool. Hopefully if they take some new shots tomorrow, we'll scan one in and post on out here on the blog.

OK, assignment completed. I'll try to take a bit more time to post in the coming weeks. Time seems to get away from us and I don't anticipate that getting any better anytime soon!

Races, worms and Dogs....oh my?

2009-05-09T21:28:00.006-05:00

Today was the The 21st Annual Avera Race Against Breast Cancer. I ran this year as Karla is loaded heavy in the front with little sister and today was probably one of the few years that it has been sunny, cool - but sunny. Given that it rained all day yesterday. Jakson and Karla cheered me on (as much as Jakson will - early in the morning, hungry and cold). I finished 30:35 - or 692 out of 997

I felt pretty good finishing, knees and all. Jakson was only slightly impressed until he found out we could get bagels at the race tent afterward.

The rest of the day was going to spent trenching another sump line. As I moved rock (and more rock) and dirt (and my lord more dirt) Jakson hunted for worms to rescue and put into the garden. He was concerned for their safety and wanted make sure he got as many as I could find.

We have ALOT of worms! All the robins in the area must have sensed this because it wasn't long before I had an audience. Jakson rescued at least a dozen worms (I didn't even give them all to him, there were just too many) and diligently moved them all to the garden.

While Jakson rescued worms, Karla mowed and I dug trenches, the other member of the family did her duty also - never waivering or leaving her post........

It's rough and exhausting.

Get Your Rear in Gear - Twin Cities 2009

2009-04-21T20:43:00.008-05:00

It's over, it's official - I finished 781st with a time of 32:46. Not as fast as my race last fall, but I am still pretty happy about it. Of course the weather wouldn't cooperate - it was a cool and rainy. The day started early with Jakson taking part in the kids fun run. He ran the whole thing (1/2 mile) and pretty much sprinted the entire way. We might have a track star in our midst...we'll see.

Jakson ran with Jessica and Karla. The Kids' Fun Run was in memory of Anne, and Jon was the race starter. Allison also ran but her long lanky legs put her way ahead of these three.

The kids all got medals for finishing the race. Jakson is very proud of himself. We're very proud of him too. He has never done anything like this before.

I felt like I was running in place as pre-teens and chubby dogs seemed to pass me en mass - but I made it and am happy I did. My knees don't disagree with me this time.

Easter 2009

2009-04-15T21:00:00.005-05:00

It was a fairly nice weekend for Easter this year (in SD anyway) and we hosted this year. Jakson, Allison, Jessica and Megan had fun coloring eggs, hunting goodies and creating chaos.

The 3 Musketeers

Future model perhaps?

Checking out the haul!

The kids were lucky enough to have the Easter Bunny visit twice so they were able to take in extra sweets and cash and goodies. Sugar highs all around most of the weekend, but it was worth it.

Crazy Wacky Hair Day

2009-04-02T19:38:00.006-05:00

It's wacky week at Jakson's daycare this week. Yesterday was wacky hair day. Jakson loved his hair.

Knees beware

2009-03-18T20:56:00.004-05:00

That's right - my knees will again be really angry with me. April 19th marks the Twin Cities Get Your Rear in Gear 5K Run/Walk. Anne Notch was to be the honoree for the kids Fun Run part of the event, but she passed away in January from colon cancer. Anne is Karla's sister (Kirsten) husband's sister (got that?). The Notch's have been family friends of Karla and I for some time now. The race provides me something to work for in regards to working out/training, and it honors a really strong person. I don't normally ask for donations for these races (ok - so I have only run one race so far) but if you feel so inclined to donate to the cause, the race gave me a web link for donations to be taken online. Click on this link, and if you choose to give - Thanks. I'll plan on updating my results when I finish.

Disney 2009

2009-03-10T20:50:00.004-05:00

We have returned - to cruddy weather none the less! We had a really great time and got see to everything we wanted to see (this time around anyway). The weather finally turned around from a cool 60 degrees (terrible, I know) to a nice mid-to-high 80's (awesome!). Rather than bore everyone with minute details of everyday activities - I'll highlight 10 things seen, felt, ridden, heard and eaten (and in no particular order):

1) Its a Small World - ridden 2 times by Jakson's request.

2) Excellent food at Epcot - Teppen Edo, Tutto Italia and various fish-n-chips, Brats & sauerkraut, and nachos.

3) Soarin' and the Test Drive rides - AWESOME!

4) Monorail - can get enough of that monorail. I think this was Jakson's favorite ride out of everything.

5) Tres Caballeros - another frequent ride by request by Jakson (3 times to be exact)!

6) Jakson rode his first roller coaster - The Barn Stormer at the MK. He wasn't too sure he liked it but he came out of it OK.

7) Jakson got his favorite character's autographs.

8) Dude!, Aloha, and Mahalo are now new words in Jakson's vocabulary.

9) We saw the American Idol Experience - all I can say is some people can sing, and then there are those people who think they can sing.

10) "Fish are friends not food."

I will try to add more if I get around to it - lots of picture to wade through.

1964 Impala - Love on the road

2009-02-26T22:42:00.004-06:00

This brings back some memories. We were at the Addy Awards last Saturday at the convention center, and they were also having a car show. This '64 Chevy Impala SS reminds of the 64 I had for my first car. Now - mine wasn't an SS model - or looked quite this nice, but it still was an awesome car. I wish I still had that car. I remember the night that I was out with some friends and it was raining, and the car hydro-planed and I hit a wall (not hard - but hard enough) Dad - I am sorry - I know you liked that car alot, I did too and I know how disappointed you were when you saw the damage. You tried to fix it and I wish I still had it today to make it look great. I miss the road trips, the red color, the glass packs. My car was a rumbler - you couldn't miss it coming down the road. I am not sure what ever happened to that car.

Soon.....soon....

2009-02-24T20:38:00.003-06:00

5 days until Disney. I don't think Jakson can hold his excitement in much longer.

Me neither!

Funtimes

2009-02-12T20:22:00.005-06:00

It's been hectic lately. With trying to tear down an office in preparation of the new addition, Jakson has cabin fever and it's been unusually nice here. I have been trying to get to writing something, so tonight I am making myself do it. Some events happening lately...

Jakson and the neighbor boy Kai thought it would be fun to have a impromptu snowball battle.

Tomorrow Jakson gets to have a party for Valentine's Day. We had an assembly line set up to get his load ready to go.

Other milestones this week - Jakson learned to tie his shoes - a great triumph.

Oh - and 16 days until Disney!

26 days and counting...

2009-02-03T21:26:00.002-06:00

I am soooo ready for a vacation. I think Jakson is too. It's cold and Disney in warm sunny Florida sounds nice. We are getting excited. Look out Mickey - Jakson will be looking for you!

Things I heard on the way to work

2009-01-28T19:17:00.004-06:00

from Jakson in the car on the way to pre-school. Let me preface - Jakson is super excited to be getting a baby bro/sis and has his own ideas on the matter.

" Dad - I think we need to put the crib in my room - that way the baby won't be scared of the dark."

"We'll have to buy new pacies (pacifiers) - we gave mine away."

"I get to hold the baby after it comes out of mommy's belly."

"Dad - how does the baby come out of mommy's belly?"

37 days and counting

2009-01-22T20:41:00.003-06:00

Until Disney! We decided to take a vacation back to Walt Disney World. Jakson is stoked. I can't deny that Karla and I are excited too. We have lots to explore that we weren't able to the last go around. And Jakson will be a little older and a little taller so we can experience a few more rides too.

Coming this summer...

2009-01-12T22:50:00.005-06:00

Jakson is going to be a big brother.

Update on Dad

2009-01-10T08:52:00.002-06:00

For those of you who didn't know, Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer over Christmas. Not the best present to receive, but we were blessed to catch it as early as we did. Someone was watching over him when he and mom travelled to Charleston to spend Xmas with Jeff and Lora and had the tests run down there. A tumor was found in his upper left lung, and by noon yesterday, he was done with surgery to remove that lobe of his lung, and now we are waiting in the ICU. He came through surgery with little complications (other than the now assumed fact that anyone with Santi blood can't tolerate anesthesia with getting nauseous) We did find out that the tumor was a little larger in reality than showed on the x-rays - so most likely a Stage 2 cancer, which will probably result in some chemo/radiation therapy. He has been awake and is in some pain, but with medications that is under control. Later today he'll move to a regular room and continue to get stronger. This was all frosted with about 3 inches of snow covering an inch of ice from yesterday. So I spent the night here (slightly unprepared) and Jeff got to relive his snow shoveling experience since moving to the blood thinning climate of South Carolina. I haven't heard that much complaining in a long time!

We thank everyone who has offered prayers and thoughts as we move to the next step of this experience.

Wintertime Activites

2009-01-10T08:45:00.005-06:00

Since I have a spare moment, I thought I would share some of the fun things Jakson likes to do when it's cold outside.

We went sledding over Xmas in Owatonna. No bunny hills for us!

This is Jakson's vacuum. It really works too. It may not seem like a fun time activity to you or me (ok I can't judge, but I assume most people don't like to vacuum) Jakson loves to vacuum.

Last night it snowed. I was stuck in Sioux City at the hospital (more on the next post) so Jakson helped Karla shovel the driveway. Maybe today if I make it back home we'll go sledding or something.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-28T20:31:00.002-06:00

Wishing you a prosperous 2009

The Santis

I was happy with a bigwheel

2008-12-22T20:53:00.004-06:00

But kids nowadays - they need something more. We had an early Xmas with Nana and Papa on Friday before they headed to sunnier and warmer Charleston (it was a high of 8 degrees here today) so Jakson got to open his gifts from that side of the family. He has been asking everyday when he could open those gifts, and he was sure he had kept his part of the bargain he made with Aunt Lora (if he was good he could open presents!) One of his numerous list items was the 'Martian Matter Alien Maker'. And he wasn't disappointed. This set allows you to create gooey martians (and amazingly enough not too messy). He couldn't wait until Saturday morning to break this thing in.

Jakson is a pro at this now. We have several aliens now.

I still like bigwheels...I'm just to big for the wheels......

Tis the season...

2008-12-14T20:47:00.008-06:00

To be busy, busy, busy. It seems like we just got back from Mexico and xmas was still a good month away, now it's next week and we aren't quite ready just yet. We've had some parties, some shopping trips, and a church christmas program, and the month is not quite half-over. Here are some of the things we've done since Thanskgiving.

I threw this one is because these two have become even better buds. Aesa even looks for Jakson when he's not around (I'm sure partially to be on the lookout, but to play too).

Jeff, Lora and the kids came back for Thanksgiving, and we all went to the Santa House and Xmas parade in Sioux City. The kids took a moment to make ornaments at the Santa House.

Jakson made his Gingerbread man ornament.

We finally got around to getting our trees up (a typical xmas horror story - for another day) and Jakson likes to put up ornaments.

Jakson project list included a new dog house for his puppy. (His stuffed blue puppy) So we started this project. He wanted the inside painted too so we had to get that done.

Jakson had his 1st Sunday school Christmas program tonight. He didn't quite get all the words but he did a good job.

Cards to mail, presents to wrap (and buy), well - you get the picture. We have lots too accomplish yet. We hope you are having a jolly season so far.

More Mexico (oh where did it go!?!?!?)

2008-11-16T19:50:00.009-06:00

This is a view of our hotel from down the beach.

This was the Tulum ruins. This was very cool.

This was Marisol. See those tasty looking drinks - she would bring those to us all day long.

More to come......

update: try this link to view our photo album (or a portion of the pictures we took....)

Pictures

Looks awesome doesn't it....

2008-11-15T22:10:00.003-06:00

Karla and I just got back from Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. I hope to write more as I sort through our pictures, but this will give you an idea of what we did alot of the time. It was usually 85-90 degrees. We came back to snow.

Would you trust us?

2008-10-28T22:45:00.003-05:00

I am not sure I would...

Karla has been in MN for the last week babysitting the girls, so Jakson and I went up over the weekend and we took the time to play at the park. These two are a dangerous combination!

Pumpkin Patch Time

2008-10-21T22:50:00.007-05:00

Here are some pictures of our weekend trip to the pumpkin patch. We missed the festival last weekend due to the poor weather, but Sunday was a good day.

The orchard has these cats roaming around. Jakson and Karla took a liking, but not enough to bring home yet. They weren't afraid of people and liked attention.

Picking a good one.

They have a small "petting" zoo. Jakson was petting the horse. The horse was nibbling the Jakson

Jakson was trying hard to find a good one for carving.

Jakson loves the hay bales that they have to climb on. He likes to place cops 'n' robbers.

Our growing boy.

I finished!!!!

2008-09-29T22:40:00.007-05:00

Just after Memorial Day, I started the "couch to 5K" running program, and for the past 2 months been consistently running a 5k distance 2-3 times a week. Karla has been hounding me to sign up for a race. This race came up as an opportunity, so I registered. It was the Susan Komen Race for the Cure. The race was on Sunday morning, and I ended up not being last.

This was the first year in South Dakota for this national race. It was held at the Dakota Dome in Vermillion. Very foggy that day.

This is me at the end. I was probably skewing my time my sprinting the last 100 yards, but I saw the finish and I just wanted it to end. Let's face it - the body of a runner I don't have.

A little hard to read- but my time was 27:57.5. you can see the official results here. I was 110th out of 156 timed runners (not everyone donated more to get timed)

Am I glad I did it? Sure. Are my knees? Let's just say they're a tad pissed yet.

Jakson Appleseed

2008-09-28T22:56:00.005-05:00

This weekend was a nice fall day, so we headed out to the apple orchard. We missed the Apple Festival last weekend due to the windy weather. It's always a good time, wandering through the apple grove, picking apples and eating them right there. Jakson likes the hay bales to climb on and riding the wagons out and back to the apples. I made pie tonight with some of our bounty. It tastes ok, but I am still trying new recipes.

Karla and Jakson with our empty bag. (You can buy 5#, 10# and 20# bags to fill up).

You can't really see it, but his cheeks are full of apple.

Jakson loves to run around on these hay bales.

We picked just over 10lbs of apples. Something about fresh off the tree apples makes these taste so much better.

Busy Busy Busy

2008-09-16T21:47:00.006-05:00

Seems like forever since I wrote last...oh WAIT! it has been!!!! Summer is over and it just isn't slowing down. Jakson started pre-school, Blend is uber-busy, the garden has given it's all (super hot salsa fyi - yummy) and football is in full swing. We also got a new camera for our pending vacation getaway. Here are some sample pictures we have as the first test pictures.

Jakson and Aesa - don't they look innocent?

I made an apple pie for our church celebrating the installation of our new pastor. I didn't even get a taste, but it looked good.

Karla bought a Wii Fit (finally - you can't get these anywhere!) Jakson is a natural doing his "tree" pose. We didn't even coach him - he looked at the picture and stepped up. He continues to amaze us. He's my inspiration....

GO STEELERS!

2008-08-31T21:51:00.003-05:00

Granted - it was only pre-season - but it's always nice to be able to see my team whenever they are in the neighborhood. And granted - it a rather boorish game as far as games go, but it all came down to the final 4 seconds with a field goal win by the Steelers.

Bugs are cool!

2008-08-18T22:09:00.011-05:00

Jakson got a butterfly house for his birthday from the Maddie, Ethan and Maren. We sent off for our caterpillars and when they arrived - started the process.

These arrived via mail after we sent in our caterpillar coupon.

We started with 5 "painted lady" caterpillars. Jakson wasn't sure what to think of them.

Are they butterflies yet?

5 little cocoons.

Are they butterflies now?
Success! Only one actually made it to the final stage.

Jakson was pretty excited about this none-the-less. We plan on sending off for some more butterflies maybe in the spring. Now Jakson thinks science is cool.

Canaries Baseball 2008

2008-08-11T22:02:00.003-05:00

Saturday was game night. We had fun. Ice cream, lemonade, other sugar packed snacks....it's all good.

Tee'd Off

2008-08-11T21:51:00.006-05:00

Friday night was such a nice night that Karla and I decided to go golfing after work. Instead of getting a sitter we decided Jakson could come along with us. He had such a good time and was a good little boy. He even got to putt some here and there.

Jakson made a good little caddie as he helped Karla rake the sand after her shot.

Still raking away...

Jakson loved to help drive the cart. (He got that from Uncle Richard's place)

I think we might look into the "1st Tee" program for young golfers next year. Ya never know - we might have a PGA champion in the future.

Jakson Turns 4!

2008-07-29T22:52:00.006-05:00

Jakson turned the big #4 last week. Here are some of the things he got and we did. Thanks to Nana and Papa who came up the weekend before to celebrate before they went a-cruisin'.

We took Jakson to Chuckie Cheese and had lots of fun.

One of his gifts was a new bike. Nick and Alec from a few houses down were gald to help him out.

Jakson chose to have yellow cake and yellow frosting with red on it. Actually pretty tasty.

Nana and Papa got Jakson a new scooter.

Other fabulous goodies were money and some nerf rockets from Uncle Richard and Aunt Carolyn; a butterfly house and 3D bug book from Maddie, Ethan, Maren, Jeff and Lora; Monsters Inc DVD, flashcards, and electric toothbrush from Allie, Jessie, Megan Doug and Kirsten; a toy Jeep and some moolah from Grandma, clothes and cash from Nana and Papa (and scooter); and a watch from mom and dad.

Thanks to everyone for the great gifts.

4th of July

2008-07-08T22:54:00.011-05:00

This year we spent the holiday in Sioux City. Thursday and Friday nights were X's baseball (even though we're Canaries fans, it's always a good time - Go Canaries!) Jakson got to eat "snacks" at the ballpark (aka junk food) and we saw some nice fireworks. Even though we had to leave early on Thursday as Jakson sometimes get so anxious about the noise he doesn't enjoy it, but Friday was better. Friday we also went to the little burg of Bronson for their parade. let em tell you - small towns really get into this. Rescue vehicles, tractors (or lordee lots of tractors) old cars, and horses. Oh - and candy - did I mention candy?!! Jakson soon figured out that if you way to the guys driving the tractors they will unload a downpour of candy. I had pockets filled with it. We also hit the pool in the afternoon for some cool fun in the sun.

Saturday we made the trek down to Richard and Carolyn's in Des Moines for some fun and food. Uncle Richard has all sorts of fun stuff a 4 yr old can do. Little fishing pond, golf carts, water guns....you name it - it was probably there somewhere. Jakson met up with some of his 2nd cousins (I think anyway) and some new friends and had a good time. Too much food later we headed home back to Sioux City. Sunday was a catch up day but not before we had to visit the kitchen at Red Lobster for a tornado warning before heading home to SF.

Here is a compilation of things we did on the 4th of July (in no particular order).

Papa trying his hand at catching a fish. No luck...

Me trying my luck.....no luck. Richard claims there are fish in here but I wasn't so sure at this point.

Jakson has some patience. About 30 seconds worth. Although we did finally manage to catch a bluegill before we left.

Jakson leaping for Karla at the pool. He is really becoming the tadpole. Swimming lessons start next week.

Jakson really liked the zero-depth part of the pool.

Jakson, Nana & Papa waiting for the parade to begin.

The Bronson Shriners.

Waiting for the next tractor to drive by and throw goodies! (notice the full hat - that's probably the 2nd or 3rd full hat's worth)

Tractors!

One of the neater firetrucks in the parade.

Camping

2008-06-23T22:40:00.009-05:00

This photo says it all and has become one of my favorites. We took Jakson for his 1st camping trip this past weekend (Aesa's too). We made a short jaunt to Jasper, MN - Split Rock Creek State park. (close just in case it turned sour) We had beautiful weather and everyone was excited. The weekend was filled with hiking, swimming, fishing and all around relaxation.

Aesa has this thing about drinking out the fountains - very comical.

The park had a nice sandy beach. The water was fairly clear and pretty warm.

We met another family from Sioux Falls who also had a "Jackson". Jakson shared his beach toys. I am not sure what they were trying to accomplish here.

The area between the camping area had a nice sized open grassy field. Jakson decided he was ready to take the old man in in some tackle football.

The kids on one of the trails.

Done for the day.

I am working on getting all the photos uploaded and a link to view. Once that happens (if it happens) I will edit this post and add the link.

Various Activities

2008-06-16T21:42:00.009-05:00

It was a great weekend for Father's Day. We had a whole weekend planned - mainly house cleaning since we have been gone 4 of the last 6 weekends. But we did have some fun things that we did.

Jakson got to walk inside a hot-air balloon at the Balloon Race that is held here in SF. Very cool.

Jakson has nearly outgrown his little bike. He can speed up and down our sidewalk with ease. If I can get our video cam working again I might be able to film him and slow it down for the normal eye to follow.

Jakson got to go to a baseball game with Nana and Papa - and he gets spoiled. He likes the big jumpy air filled castles.

Jakson has his own camera - and therefore takes picture randomly and at will.

Our latest journey to Lowe's netted Jakson his own hand-made tape measure

Belated Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there.

Free Weekend.......Finally

2008-06-01T21:48:00.007-05:00

After being gone for several weekends, it was nice to finally get some downtime to try and accomplish my honey-do list, plus get some fun time activities in the mix too. Besides mowing (and it was loooooonngggggg!), cleaning the garage, laundry, garden work, well - you get the picture. We also camped out in the backyard. You're thinking - big deal, backyard. We plan on taking a camping trip in 2 weeks for Jaksons first "real" camping trip, and we needed to test drive the new tent we purchased. So at about 8 pm last night we decided to pitch the tent and see how it would go. We got the tent up in decent time got the airbed ready (that's right - an airbed.....I am not THAT outdoorsy!). We loaded Jakson up into his sleeping bag and hunkered down. Um - it was COLD.....we powered through it but we certainly learned some things to bring on the real trip.

We woke the birds (something about the early bird gets the worm - those birds need to learn how to read a clock. It was 5am when that racket began. (sorry - forgot to take pics this time around). Once we fully awoke and had breakfast - it was off to Lake Alvin (really more like a big pond not to far from our house) to take Jakson fishing. He was really excited. We were too since it was nice to just get away. we packed some picnic sacks and the worms and headed out.

Waiting patiently.....unlike me.

Mom decided to get all artsy with the background. There were lots of other people out today.

We got Jakson a new rod and reel this year. Somehow - the Spiderman set just wasn't really getting the job done. (not that this made his chances any better - although he was the only one who even got a nibble today)

Too much fishing.

We got back from fishing and after we all had naps (remember 5 am...birds...worms....) we washed the vehicles, thereby ensuring the rain tomorrow, and we got some great help spraying the Jeep down.

The night ended with the fire pit and some s'mores (mmm.....s'mores). Now we're on the couch with the dog between us winding down. Tomorrow is Monday....ugh.

Happy Post Memorial Day

2008-05-27T21:39:00.005-05:00

Have you recovered? Karla and I haven't yet - but we're getting there. We spent the weekend in St. Peter, MN with some friends from M'side. Aesa camped out with Nana and Papa and Jakson invaded Uncle Doug and Aunt Kirsten's house for the weekend. I got to golf a couple times, and Karla shopped with the girls in Mankato. We also spent some time with Grandma Phyllis on Monday planting flowers while babysitting baby Megan. We rolled in late Monday night. Today was just brutal - I could have definitely fallen asleep at my desk.

Some of the gang from St. Peter at Jimbob's house. They have an annual holiday fest at their house. Lots of fun

Jakson and Jessica helping Karla water the plants we put in for Grandma Phyllis.

I have the magic touch. I think everytime Megan needs a nap when I am around- she's usually on my lap.

It's about time

2008-05-12T20:36:00.005-05:00

I better take the time now to write something creative. I have a spare moment finally so here's what we did over the weekend. Saturday morning came early, cold and windy. Karla entered the annual "Race Against Breast Cancer" 5K so rain or shine they hold it. Jakson and I tagged along for emotional support. Although Jakson spent more time wrapped up in the blankets on the grass all cuddly and warm. Karla finished - but not in as good of time as she hoped. She ended up with 31:19. Not bad in my book considering she didn't really train too much.

We spent the rest of the day shopping since it rained all day. Sunday was much better day for Mother's Day. We had sun and nice temperatures. We took Karla to a nice local restaurant - Spezia's - for brunch. Then after a quick nap for Jakson (and Dad) we headed out for some more shopping. Jakson decided to check out some new yard toys for me.

That's my boy - I think with enough hints I might get Karla to crack (don't hold your breath though!) We bought some tomato plants for the garden, which Jakson is totally psyched about, and took a nice walk too. Hope your Mom's Day was as good as ours.

later

um...are you there????

2008-05-03T21:19:00.002-05:00

Yep - still here - but with a busy week(s), a computer crash and rebuild and just not enough time or patience - it hasn't been fixed completely. Plus yard work - and longer warmer days = kid and dog who want to run around outside. So - I'll be back as soon as I can, but in the meantime - go outside :)

Gimme Your Fruit Loops!!!

2008-04-22T21:34:00.004-05:00

That's what the caption of this photo would say if it were in the news. This past weekend we ventured to Omaha for a wedding and took the chance to go to the zoo. It was a pretty nice day on Sunday, and there is a new ape/monkey house that really lets you get close to the local residents. Jakson decided to have a face off with one of the orangutans. I think he saw Jakson's fruit loops and wanted some.

Jakson was having none of that.

A Typical (or atypical) Day

2008-04-15T22:06:00.003-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, but we have been really busy. So I thought I would let you in on what the Santi family usually goes through on any given day.

The day typically begins with me waking up earlier than my alarm clock - usually to someone snoring. Now, I am not saying my wife snores (I'm in trouble already) but let's just say it's not always Aesa. That's about 5 am. Now - if I were really motivated - I would just get up and do something like exercise, but let's face it, sometimes you just have to roll over and try and catch a few more winks, So that's what I do if possible.

Once I do wake up, around 6 ish - I usually can get a shower in and dressed before I hear my name called from Jakson's room. "Dad - I want to watch TV and lay on your bed!" or something along those lines. I can get Aesa fed and scarf down something for breakfast before I need to tackle a wiry 31/2 year old and get him dressed. By this time Karla has been harassed sufficiently from Jakson that she is also up. Jakson has to have his pop-tarts before we head out the door.

The drive to River Crossing is broken up by the whys and the wheres and the whats, and I am not sure Jakson even realizes I leave after my hug and kiss goodbye. They really occupy the kids with lots of activities from them minute they get there to when they leave.

Karla has this quiet time to get ready for work. Blend Interactive has really taken off and she has some really fun partners and employees. It's been non-stop for 3 years and so far shows no signs of slowing down. So when she can take a moment to breath, she grabs it.

My day is your typical office job. For those of you who don't know what I do - I am the senior sales office representative for PCS Existing Client sales. Basically - I prepare sales proposals and contracts, do research, and handle numerous day to day issues that arise with our sales force (I don't do the actual sales (ok sometimes) but I help the sales guys). But when the clock strikes 5 pm - or sometimes 5:30 - I'm out the door to pick up Jakson.

Today - it was about 75 degrees so Jakson was out with his friends climbing on the play system when I stopped to pick him up. We mounted up and headed home. In the door at home and straight for the pudding. Jakson LOVES pudding, and he asks for it 9 times out of 10 for a snack. Then it's off to relax and watch some Spongebob before round 3 of the day.

I usually cook supper since the money maker doesn't get home before me too often. Steak and potatoes tonight (oh gee, you think - real original) Well - too bad - eat what I make (and I just wasn't feeling creative today). And then outside for a bit before running an errand. We got back home and had a good laugh watching Aesa and Pete (one of her boyfriends - our neighbors German Shorthair) gallop through the yards. She was exhausted! And there's something just comical about 2 dogs chasing each other, tongues hanging out with that wild look in their eyes, that makes you forget your troubles or cares.

Then it was jammies and bed-time story time and let's face it - no self-respecting 3 year old goes down without a fight. He very rarely falls asleep right away. I think he was still goofing off up to 9:30. Karla managed to go for a run after that, and I have been working my second job - I am a part time employee of Blend - so whenever they have some sort of mundane job - that's when I get a call/email/order from Karla. I am writing this at 10:46 pm - on the couch with a fat tuckered-out Labrador between me and my wife who is still working (busy - remember..) and trying to think of what tomorrow will bring.

I hope this abridged version of "a day in the life of" brought a smile to your face.

Pheasant Season?

2008-03-23T22:16:00.005-05:00

"Hey - what's that - you got a new truck? "

"Sure - we got rid of the Trailblazer and got a GMC Acadia."

"How does it drive?"

"Great - it even hunts pheasants...."

"What!?!?!"

Tank of Gas to drive home from Minnesota = $60

Snacks for ride home = $8

Smacking that fat bird (who I saw take off from the ditch, but it was too late to do anything) going 70 mph with the center of that new windshield = Priceless.....no wait - I guess NOT! Considering this new windshield will be worth a whole lot more than some bird. Not what I consider "pheasant under glass".

Honestly it was like an accident in slow-mo. No one inside was hurt - but I'll bet that bird had at least a splitting headache. (I didn't go back and look to see if it was still alive) - and actually Jakson didn't even wake up when it happened.

Chocolate Bunnies and Snow....

2008-03-23T21:49:00.007-05:00

Happy Easter. We made it back from the great white north of Owatonna! Yep - we celebrated Easter with 2 inches of white stuff this morning, but the Easter Bunny made it to Grandma's house with his snow(hare) shoes. (ugh - did I try that pun out already?) The kids colored their eggs on Saturday in preparation of the great hunt. Jakson did his share and we all made it out with little staining.

Lightin' (McQueen) struck again (jeez who writes this stuff!?!) as Jakson found a new t-shirt in his easter basket.

The hunt was on and the kids all did pretty well. That bunny tried hard to make some of his eggs harder to find - but it must be the scent of chocolate or coins, or something that leads toddlers to the bounty. It didn't take long for the 3 of them to sniff out all the eggs that were hidden.

Aesa did her best to cope with 4 kiddos chasing, pulling and hugging her all weekend, but she eventually took refuge with me as the pack worked on divvying up the catch.

Jakson looking through his haul.

So -snow aside, the weekend was fairly decent. Now I have to go tackle Jakson and see if we can get him to bed, but I am afraid the sugar rush hasn't worn off yet!

Common Theme

2008-03-08T20:38:00.003-06:00

Jakson loves going to Lowes for their Saturday workshops. They make it pretty easy for the kids AND the parents. You'll notice common them in the Lowes posts (it usually involves a tongue hanging out and some deep concentration).

Buds

2008-02-28T22:30:00.003-06:00

Wev'e been busy - but once in awhile your just have to relax and take a break. Obviously - some in our clan like to lounge a little more than the humans, but she's more than willing to share some warm spot and cuddle.

The Evil Apple has arrived...let the annual feast of sugar begin!

2008-02-12T19:45:00.000-06:00

Evil in a goood way. Nana buys these ooey-gooey apples for the Sioux City Humane Society fundraiser they run this time of year. They're awesome - covered in caramel, dark chocolate, white chocolate and nut sprinkles! It all leads up to Valentines Day, and of course that just means way too much good stuff. I think my diet is screwed this week. Jakson is sitting next to me right now in sugar coma - after eating some of that apple and relaxing - I think his eyes are getting heavy. I can't blame him.

Brrr......

2008-02-11T21:37:00.000-06:00

Sorry - I haven't written much recently - I was just out chipping the snow off the driveway. No not shoveling, C-H-I-P-P-I-N-G the snow off. And mind you it's way below zero right now. We had about 4 inches drop out of the sky today, and since it's SO cold - the snow actualy frrezes even harder. Now I konw what walking around the arctic circle feels like. Now - I'd like to give a shout to Aunt Kathy - who recently returned from a nice little vacation down in South Carolina. Welcome Back! I can't imagine you had much fun in the nice climate - knowing your fellow teachers were back here toiling away in the winter wonderland.

Nice weather in SC...yada....yada...yada.....

Stop the Squirrel INSANITY!

2008-01-29T22:16:00.001-06:00

News Flash......

Squirrels in Sioux City Iowa suffering from obesity! Officials report local man contributes to the overweight dilemma for spoiled rodents who should be hibernating. Ramond Santi, soon to be retiree, has been supplying the neighborhood inhabitants with seed, corn and leftover pumpkins. At last report - Mr. Santi has been seen with a new assistant who seems to be eager to learn the art of squirrel stuffing. Mr. Santi and said helper can be seen in the following picture putting out new corn cobs, a much sought after snack for the fur covered gooballs suffering from the munchies.

In this picture - the assistant catches on quickly under the tutelage of Mr. Santi.

As you can see in this photo - Mr. Santi likes to provide buffet style dining for all the patrons.

Officials have yet to decide if Mr. Santi is breaking any laws or ordinances, but warn citizens that feeding , (or overfeeding) your neighborhood squirrels might just mean roof or car damage from the lardball falling out of the tree after his blubber finally breaks that branch or causes him to lose his balance and fall!

Funtime with Nana and Papa

2008-01-29T21:01:00.000-06:00

We ventured down to Sioux City this past weekend to visit Nana and Papa. We hadn't been in SC for quite awhile, and Jerry's Pizza was callin'. Jakson got to take in his first M'Side basketball game. It was not long before he settled onto Papa's lap, popcorn and soda in hand.

The Mustangs won - although I would say not impressively - but a win is a win.

It was pretty nice last weekend so Jakson and Nana made a snowman (sort of - more like a snow troll) and even Aesa enjoyed the good weather.

It didn't take long for Papa to influence Jakson by tossing some snowballs at Nana!

The typical "spoiling your grandson" behavior ensued the rest of the day. Karla and I snuck out for a date night dinner at Rebos' (mighty spicy but very tasty) and then skipped around fourth street for awhile before heading back to the house. A good weekend over all. It didn't exactly help my diet too much, but hey - sometimes you just have to enjoy yourself.

A little boy and his dog

2008-01-20T20:43:00.000-06:00

Aesa turns 7 in about 3 weeks. Jakson is is looking at going on 4 this year. It doesn't take much to figure Aesa is his big sister. She never paid much mind to Jakson, or him her for that matter, until more recently. I think he has discovered that she is more willing to play with him if he tries just a little, and she has realized that he provides much more entertainment than Karla and I do. This weekend they pretty much spent the entire time together. If is was on the couch, on the bed, or playing tug-of-war, Jakson always makes sure he gives Aesa a big hug and a kiss. It is amazing how she tunes into his personality and emotions. Tonight - Jakson was put into the corner for a timeout - and she went over and sat next to him and looked at him and then gave us a look as if to ask "What's wrong?" She didn't understand why her small human was pouting on the floor. We both had to chuckle to ourselves - it was pretty special.

Later in the evening - Jakson discovered a new sport - floor sledding. Think dog-sledding on carpet and that sums it up. We were laughing pretty good - I think it might have been something we could have submitted to America's Funniest Home Videos if we could have taped it. Jakson, who weighs in around 30lbs has little no chance against our 80lb lard ball. She pulled him around with little effort, and he giggled all the way.

Kids play hard - and they sleep hard. Jakson has another puppy to cuddle with, and Aesa has a new buddy to hog the couch with.

We're still around

2008-01-14T22:22:00.000-06:00

Sorry - I was in Lincoln, NE all week for a sales meeting so I haven't had much time to write anything. Karla was busy wranglin' Jakson all week - so she didn't really have a chance either. I promise - once I get caught up and my eyes stop burning from all that "Husker Red" I will post something more of interest.

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T23:10:00.001-06:00

Sorry for not posting in a while. It has been a busy weekend and week so far, and it's only Wednesday. I hope you had a great celebration to ring in the new year. We started the weekend off by taking Jakson sledding. He was a trooper and we ended up going both Saturday and Sunday. We have a great sledding hill not far from our house (as you can see by the photo) and Jakson slowly got braver and braver with each run with the sled. We eventually ended up about a third of the way before all was said and done. I managed a run down from the top. It's about 80 to 100 yards top to bottom and if you can imagine someone my size on this tiny sled careening down a bumpy hill at bone breaking speeds, well you have the making of a potentially large flash of snow and limbs....but I made it, and with out injury! We finished up the sled runs with catching snowflakes on our tongues and eating snow. (Jakson loves this) He never wanted to be carried and trucked up the hill a good dozen times each day, not to mention playing on the playground equipment too.

We also promoted Jakson to the "big boy" bed. He was getting to cramped in the toddler bed we had. He does well in this size bed and has yet to fall out (knock on wood) and I think (or hope anyway) that we'll have less visits at 4 am with someone wanting to share our bed. He helped pick out the the bed and headboard and now he can use the cool "Cars" quilt he got for xmas. Notice the nice tongue for the camera? He gets that from Karla! (I was never like that)

We spent new year's eve at some friends house hanging out and playing the Wii. We even made it to midnight to ring in the new year. Tuesday we spent the day watching football and hanging out. Kinda nice. Today it's cold (minus 25 with the wind chill) so to anyone in warm weather - you might want to think twice before coming this way anytime soon.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T21:20:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from the snowy plains. We spent the last few days in Owatonna with Grandma Phyllis. We had planned to also visit Spencer to over-indulge with the Buchholz side of the family- but thanks to a nasty weather system - we made it about 30 miles and ended up turning back. The roads were icy and visibility wasn't that great so we stayed in and stayed warm. (We couldn't even make it to the outlet mall - darned snow and ice!) Christmas Eve brought the Lewandowski's over and we had the annual meatball, cod, and green dessert dinner. The kids couldn't wait any longer - so the presents were next. We all took our spots and Allison, Jessica and Jakson took turns handing out gifts. I'll admit - Jakson's pile was fairly large - and I think he took his turn - every other turn (we were opening youngest to oldest).

Grandma Phyllis got Jakson a Vtech Computer (which is for kids) and he carried that thing around all night long. He getting better and it and once I read the instructions he might even do better. He might even be a better typist than I am. Jessica liked it too. We all had opened some (more) nice things and began the jammies runabout (Jakson likes to either get his pj's on and then take off running escaping my grasp - or he'll just take off sans jammies - usually in his undies and giggling non-stop), but not before Jakson got to leave Santa a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. It didn't take long for the excitement of the night to catch up with him. Us too. This morning brought a still sleepy call from Jakson room. He was ready to see if Santa had stopped and left anything for him. He was surprised to see that Santa had stopped by and filled his stocking with some more goodies. Candy, some Cars characters, $$ and a remote control car (ok - so "Santa" brought that for daddy too too). He also noticed that Santa had enjoyed the cookies he had left out (mmmm....gingersnaps). After some toy time, it was time to come home. The weatherman was predictng snow coming across I-90 and we did not want to get stuck driving thru it. Well - we did. From about Fairmont to Sioux Falls it snowed and the roads were hard to see. Luckily they weren't ice packed yet, but it does make for some tense driving conditions. Jakson and Aesa napped in the back seat (ah - those were the days) and we finally made it home to find about 4-6 inches of snow in the driveway.

I managed to get the snow cleared while Karla, Jakson and Aesa trucked around the neighborhood in the snow. Jakson like catching snowflakes on his tongue. He managed to help shovel some snow but decided it was going to more fun if he raced around the back yard. He also got to make his first snow angel.

Christmas part 1

2007-12-17T21:20:00.000-06:00

Nana and Papa came up to celebrate Christmas with us this last weekend. We'll be in Minnesota over the holiday this year so it was a good time to get together. I made lasagna, we had pie and ice cream ,and of course, opened presents. Jakson was so excited he couldn't wait and help Karla disperse gifts - he wanted to open his, and everyone else's!

We managed to wrangle him enough to help hand out the gifts before we took turns opening them. Jakson got to take his turn after everyone, mainly because he had the most gifts. We all scored some pretty nice things. After we were all done - we let Jakson know Santa had a present he delivered early for him. His eyes got big as Karla rolled it into the room. Now our basement looks like a racetrack. He rides surprisingly well. Sidewalks beware when the ice thaws - he'll be zipping up and down the houses - menacing the neighborhood dogs and our neighbors.

Now - imagine...all full of pasta and pie, and ready to doze off for a nite-cap snooze. Next - imagine trying to find room on our couch to do all that. This is a typical scene in our house, whether it be Nana and Pap or Karla and I. Aesa usually makes her presence known, Jakson follows suit and we're left with the outskirts of our couch. More furniture is definitely in our future.

Ho...Ho...Ho...

2007-12-17T20:47:00.000-06:00

Saturday we ventured to downtown Sioux Falls to visit Santa. We waited in line to see the jolly old fart, listening to all the kids tell Santa what they wanted. Transformers, Barbies, a bike.....all the normal xmas wishlist fodder that you'd expect. Then, it was Jakson's turn. He hadn't stopped talking the entire time we were waiting but sure enough - instant shy-guy as soon as he got his chance. He sheepishly walked up to Santa, got up on his lap and we hear Santa ask "What do you want Santa to bring you?". We thought - a bike, maybe some hot wheels - 'cause he put about everything on his list. The moment came and we hear..."a street". What?!?!!? Santa had to ask again, but without missing a beat - Jakson said "a street". Now don't get me wrong, your very own street would be kind of cool. But, not something I expect to hear from a 3 yr old. Santa played along and told Jakson he would see what he could do. I hope Santa has a lot of wrapping paper if he plans to deliver that in his bag of presents. (and maybe good health insurance 'cause I foresee a hernia hoisting that around)

The next Bob Villa

2007-12-10T23:33:00.000-06:00

I think it become a regular Saturday event at Lowes....taking Jakson to build something neat with his new carpenter goggles and apron. He really has fun, and without sounding like the typical proud father - he has a lot more aptitude for the projects than some of the bigger kids! This week was a Snowman Greeting Card Holder. I still managed to keep all my fingers intact. We got lots of great comments from the people working there about how cute and talented he was working on his project. (ok - so I do sound like one of those parents.....) We can even use it since we just started getting xmas cards in the mail (and darn it - we haven't gotten ours out yet!)

Jakson gets a certificate of completion and a neat badge that we sew onto his apron. Maybe the next session we'll get to build bookends. At any rate - it's a great marketing ploy since any dad (and some moms) HAVE to walk around the store afterwards and drool over new power toys or home decorating goodies - I mean c'mon, we have to have some fun too!

Disney World Part 3

2007-12-04T22:33:00.000-06:00

Wednesday was MGM day. It was really fascinating to see what goes into making movies. We got to see Disney Clubhouse, and Lightning McQueen and Jakson loved that. We trucked around looking at various movie themed attractions. Jakson met "Frozone" from the Incredibles. After a rough day, Jakson napped on the way back to Epcot. Papa, Karla and I wheeled Jakson around the park while we got his "Kidcot" mask stamped. I think Papa was a bit jealous that we didn't have a dual stroller so he could take a nap to!

After visiting numerous countries. we stopped off in Mexico for a bite to eat. Karla, Jakson and I went back to see the lighting of the castle at the Magic Kingdom. Very cool! I think everyone in Orlando was there. We escaped the anarchy and made it back to the house to start packing to go back to Charleston. We had a tasty feast on Thursday and went to see the Xmas light festival. The trip back to Sioux Falls was uneventful and we made it home to a cool, crisp Sioux Falls. Just in time to start putting up the tree.

Thanks Nana and Papa for the trip, and Jeff and Lora for putting up with us too.

Disney part 2

2007-11-29T20:56:00.000-06:00

OK - so the Magic Kingdom is pretty cool - no matter your age. We got there early to see Mickey open the park and then ventured into see what Jakson (and Karla and I) would enjoy. We actually got to eat breakfest with Pooh and friends. Jakson was pretty psyched, and it was fun to see him meet some of his favorite characters. Jakson also got to meet Mickey and get his own set of mouse ears!

He wore them pretty much all day. We had his name embroidered on them too (apparently the thing to do when you get mouse ears!) We rode some of the classic rides and even some of the newer ones like Pirates of the Caribbean (old ride that has been updated from the movie), saw 'Capt Jack Sparrow' and rode the train around all the kingdom. We happened to run into Karla's cousin Kyle and his family in one of the stores (we knew they were there but what are the odds?). We also managed to find some prime street space for the daily parade to see many of the Disney characters. If you can imagine by now - not having a nap made Jakson a bit cranky - although he definitely enjoyed all the highs, but the lows followed right after. We decided to go back to Epcot to meet up with the other folks and have dinner (which we had done Monday night also). We ate in China that night (and in Morocco the night before). Mmmmm,..tasty. We finished off the night with the laser light fireworks show.

Disney 2007 Part 1

2007-11-27T22:14:00.000-06:00

Since we have way too much to write about in one huge post - I "plan" on splitting this up between several. This year - Nana and Pap were gracious enough to take all the kids to Disney World! The up-north folks departed Friday the 16th for parts south (Charleston to be exact) to meet up with Jeff's family before heading to Mickey's house.

Early Saturday we took off for a nice long drive through Georgia and northern Florida. It wasn't terrible, but I am thankful for the fairly sparse traffic of the northern interstates. We arrived at the town home (a nice place) and got unpacked. All the kids were excited - so with an early bedtime - we set off to the Animal Kingdom. Very neat, and some great shows. We saw the Lion King show and the Bugs Life show (my personal favorite). I can't imagine the work that goes into making these places work!

Tuesday we made the day at the Magic Kingdom...but that's on the next post ( I have to keep wading though pictures).

Happy Thanksgiving from South Carolina

2007-11-21T19:16:00.000-06:00

Happy Turkey Day from the comfortably warm south (it has been high 70's everyday so far) Sorry - I didn't have internet while we visited the Magic Kingdom this week - otherwise I would have added more already. That's right - we ventured down with Ray, Joyce, Jeff, Lora and the kids to see Mickey and all his friends! Now we are back in Charleston at Jeff & Lora's. I will plan on regaling you with stories of the trip when I get back and wade through the numerous photos.....(about the only downfall of a new digital camera is we to took TONS of photos - so if I can figure out to share them somehow I will.) Needless to say we had lots of fun. Now - time to look forward to eating a turkey, or ham or both. Have a Happy Thanksgiving - eats lots, drive safe and sleep well.

Bob the Builder...Handy Manny...

2007-11-12T20:53:00.000-06:00

We trekked over to Owatonna this weekend for a prequel to Thanksgiving. Saturday morning we met the cousins at Lowe's for their kids workshop. Jakson had never been to one of these before. We had a great time and managed to save some fingers building the "Turkey Recipe Holder". He did a great job and was really excited. Allison and Jessica had fun, too.

I was able to walk away with all digits unharmed, and no one put any eyes out. Jakson also had his trademark - tongue out and concentrating hard (thank god!) as he hammered away. We are now the proud owners of a fabulous balsa wood recipe holder.

It's Vegas Baby!!

2007-11-03T21:50:00.000-05:00

This week I had the opportunity to go to Las Vegas courtesy of PCS for a sales meeting and user meeting. I haven't been to that area in a good 25 years and it has changed a lot. I was there from Monday thru Thursday. We stayed at the Excalibur hotel. Not a bad place, but there are certainly better places on the strip to stay. Besides eating at too many buffets, we saw Danny Gans, walked the strip, and even saw some celebrities. We saw John Walsh (Americas Most Wanted) filming an episode, Ashton Kucher (filming a movie) and Paris Hilton (hosting a Halloween party at the Luxor).

I also went down to Fremont Street, or the downtown area of Las Vegas, one night and saw an amazing light show. For those not familiar, Fremont Street has a lot of the older casinos, and many of the old neon signs from hotels past that have been demolished. They have this street area covered in about 4 million lights that they use to produce a great light show every hour.

Very exciting, very exhausting. But I came home money ahead and some good ideas for what we can do the next visit!

Halloween

2007-11-02T22:59:00.000-05:00

Sorry this is later than normal since Halloween was 2 days ago - I have been out of town. (more on that in the next post) Jakson got to try various excursions for Halloween this year. He dressed as kangaroo complete with pouch and joey. On Friday before, we went to the Spooky Science Night at the Washington Pavilion. We had a good time learning the science of liquid nitrogen ice cream, chocolate covered bugs (we didn't partake), dry ice bubbles, etc. Afterwards, we went to the diner where Jakson polished off the sundae we were "supposedly" sharing.

On Saturday it was time for Zoo Boo, where you can go wander around the zoo and gets treats. Of course we happened to show up about the same time as the rest of Sioux Falls. It was a nice night and we fared pretty well.

Sunday was time for pumpkin carving and Jakson wasn't afraid to help - although that's about the extent of it. He was much more interested in the final product. Karla and I both tackled a pumpkin and got them done in a reasonably sane amount of time.

On Halloween, Jakson was oh so excited to go Trick-or-Treating! Karla took him out to all the neighbors. Nana and Papa came up to hang out too. Needless to say, he scored pretty well. We have some nice tubs of candy. Sugar rushes are next on the list.

Grandparents rock!

2007-10-22T20:59:00.000-05:00

Our kids Jakson (AND Aesa - she counts 'cause she's just like a 6 yr old) love it when the grandparent's show up. They get lots of attention, get spoiled, ya' know - the usual. Well, this weekend Grandma Phyllis came to stay and it lived up to the hype. Jakson got to show Grandma his new playsystem, make Halloween treats, go shopping. Aesa got to hang out on her lap and enjoy a good pet. Granted - she's a smidge under 80lbs. so when she takes over your lap - she overflows! Grandma doesn't mind, and the dog is occupied enough for Karla and I to actually sit on the couch together and enjoy the TV.

Tricks and big treats

2007-10-17T22:13:00.000-05:00

Remember this cute, innocent puppy? It's our dog, Aesa. She's not as innocent anymore - especially after her behavior this evening. After a quick run to the store, we came home to find that Aesa had gotten into Jakson's big bag of Tootsie Pops that we were planning to use for a craft project with Grandma this weekend. It appears that she ate about 10 suckers. Somehow she ate the candy, yet avoided eating the sticks. Crazy dog.

We looked it up and it takes about 4 chocolate bars to affect a 10 lb dog. Since ours is a dainty 80 lbs, it looks like her candy binge won't do any damage except to her waistline.

Rain rain go away....

2007-10-15T21:47:00.000-05:00

It has rained off and on for the past 2 weeks, and today was no different. Actually, it started Saturday night and supposed to continue throughout the week. That, of course doesn't stop a determined 3 year old. Jakson has this umbrella and is all to happy to go out and tromp around in the many puddles or even play on his swing set (if we let him). I think if it would be a tad colder we would see the white stuff. It' s had that feeling all day.

Search for the Great Pumpkin

2007-10-12T20:40:00.000-05:00

Nana and Papa came up to help search for the great pumpkin last weekend. We had a nice warm day to go out and get pumpkins for Halloween. This particular speciman was just over 1,000 pounds (the pumpkin, not Jakson)! We enjoyed searching the patch for some fine lookin' pumpkins.

Buffalo Roundup 2007

2007-10-02T21:56:00.000-05:00

A truly awesome sight. We took Jakson to see the annual buffalo roundup in Custer state park Monday. As you can see - alot of thundering bison came running down this valley in front of us. They do this round-up every year to take stock of the herd, and sell some the herd off to raise money that helps support the park. We got up early and drove down to this remote area of the park to get some decent seats. We're glad we got to see this.

Mt. Rushmore Day 1

2007-09-29T22:17:00.000-05:00

Today we visited Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Par, Reptile Gardens, and various odd stops along the way. Jakson was a trooper - and walked most of it (before succumbing to the alluring hypnosis that is the car ride and dozing off!).We stopped of at Reptile Gardens to see many of Nana's favorite animals. Jakson got to pet "Fluffy" - a 2 year old alligator, and we met the old tortoise and several of the furry, lazy and not to mention chubby prairie dogs. We saw the alligator show, and the snake show. Next time we'll have to bring Nana along too!

More adventures to come.....

2007-09-28T22:34:00.000-05:00

The trek continues...

2007-09-28T22:23:00.000-05:00

Ever been to Wall, SD? If not - something you should definitly see. We have been here once before, and now Jakson can proudly say he has conqured the maze that is Wall Drug. We stopped off to peruse the many knick-knack and jewelry shops, have some pie (mighty tasty!) and have our picture taken on the giant Jack-a-lope. Of course, todays notable quotable was from Karla - who actaully asked "Jack-a-lopes aren't real are they?" (snicker....I may have to bite my tongue the next time we see one of those stuffed rabbit mounts - or suffer a kick in the shin...)

The 2007 Mt. Rushmore trek begins...

2007-09-28T22:15:00.000-05:00

Karla and I decided it was time for a much needed long weekend, so we made plans to bring Jakson to see Mt. Rushmore, ride the 1880's train, see Reptile Gardens, etc. Now - that being said we had never undertaken a roadtrip this long before with Jakson, so we were hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst. Needless to say - iPods rule! After a 2 hour nap Jakson was getting bored- so I had loaded his favorite movie onto my iPod and away he went. That thing is definelty coming along for long car rides!

Evel Kneivel - you got nothin' on me...

2007-09-18T23:24:00.000-05:00

That's right - I have had a growth spurt this summer and can now successfully reach the pedals of my fire red tricycle. Pedestrians beware as I show no regard for safety as I careen down the driveway and onto the sidewalk at mach+ speeds!

Not recommended for the faint of heart...

2007-09-16T22:22:00.001-05:00

Ok - the title is a little misleading, it's not that bad. We finally broke down and got Jakson a play system (thanks Grandma Phyllis!!!). We thought we could put this together ourselves, to save some money, and how hard could it be? Well - I wouldn't say it was hard - but if I had to do it over again - I would have someone else do it! And I recommend you do too. Jakson was giddy with excitment the entire weekend that we put this together. He couldn't wait until it was ready - especially the slide. The instructions weren't exactly clear, and the parts - they were everywhere!!!. We finally put the finishing touch on - a pirate's wheel - today. We were waiting on some instructions and parts that we didn't get with the other 5+ boxes of stuff. Even Nana took a turn on the slide this weekend (sorry - I didn't get any pictures, and no - she didn't get stuck). We let Aesa slide too, not sure that was what she wanted to do when she tried to climb up but that's what she got.

2007-09-16T22:17:00.000-05:00

Jakson's 1st Fish

2007-09-16T22:05:00.000-05:00

Over the Labor Day weekend - we finally got to take Jakson on his first real fishing trip - where he could actually hold the rod. He did pretty well - as a matter of fact - he was the only one who caught any fish on this particular lake. He was very excited and if you ask him he will be glad to tell you all about it! Now - granted - the fish he caught wouldn't be listed on any records but I don't doubt his fish tales will be BIG!!!!

An apple a day...

2007-09-15T22:17:00.000-05:00

This weekend was the annual Applefest at one of the local orchards. Nana and Papa came up and we all went to pick apples, ride the ponies (well Jakson did - if i tried to ride one of those ponies - we'd be replacing a pony!), and Jakson even tried the big jumpy-inflatables. Nana and Papa created a monster buying that ticket. We all had lots of fun.

Welcome to Our blog......

2007-09-15T22:05:00.000-05:00

Welcome to what we hope will be a regular stop for you.