Father's Day Weekend

Before I get to us...
On the right is a link that I think you all will enjoy. Titled "Noah and the Bike Music Video", this is some footage of Noah Meloeny on his Like-a-bike. This is a balance bike that has started to become THE trainer for kiddos learning their way around a bicycle. Not only is it a chance to see the bike in action but Matt (Noah's daddy and one of Dan Halsteds good friends) put together an impressive video. We never tire of it. Enjoy!
Returning to the regularly scheduled programming:
This weekend Preston finally started swim lessons. We signed up for them way back in April, so the suspense alone was a killer. We were very anxious to get Pres in the water and see how he liked it. As much as he loves bath time we figured a huge tub, or pool, would be a hit. Overall it went well. Preston woke up a little crabby, his top teeth are really bugging him, so we were worried that he wouldn't get to have any fun. He was more sedate than usual but seemed to have a good time. Took him about 20min to take it all in. He was focused more on all the sights and sounds rather than just having fun in the water. May take a few more lessons so that he gains familiarity with the facilities before he really hits his stride. He did do well and was even used as example baby in class. The teacher thought he did great. 3/4 of the class is older than him and the class is aimed at safety more than technique. At this stage we are just getting Preston familiar with and comfortable in water. Eventually the goal is that if he were to fall in he would relax, get on his back and then float. His Mom & Dad think that is a fine idea!

Saturday we wrapped up with a trip to Lowes, some baby proofing (chords, plugs, gates, etc) and yard work. The weather has been hit or miss lately with daily rain so we took advantage of the sunshine that came with the weekend.

Father's Day was kind of blah for Reg as he got his gift a week early(fly fishing lessons & gear). He received Fathers day cards, coffee and donuts before we commenced with more weekend adventures, here's hoping that the appreciation Preston and Karley feel was conveyed via sugar and hugs.

Team Halsted then ventured out to Deadwood, SD. For those of you who were not hooked on the HBO series, Deadwood is the location of the largest gold rush in US history. More gold was found there than both SF & Klondike. In addition many note worthy folks were locals; i.e. Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, The Hearsts, Seth Bullock.

This weekend was Wild Bill Days in Deadwood. This included bands, fiddling contests, quick draw contests and shoot out reenactments. Loads of people turned out and is a popular event. This could be attributed to the open container law for the weekend. All you can drink beer with the purchase of a cup and you can walk all over town with it. Mix in the fact that this is now a casino town and you get family fun!

We made our way to Mt. Moriah which is the cemetery where Wild Bill and others were buried. Quite the hike to get there but the views and sights were well worth it. Although wearing flops was not a wise choice, we will chalk that up to lesson learned. We then headed to Adams Museum which provides a lot of local history and exhibits. We made sure to take in Main St, grab some grub at Kevin Costner's hotel and catch Lonestar in concert. Unfortunate that Pres's first concert was country music but we will make it up to him. Also did a little slot machine tango...we are up $0.25. Take that Deadwood!!

Great weekend and good weather. We took advantage where we could. Pictures are there as usual if you are interested. Happy Father's Day to all those dads out there. Not for you there would not be nearly as much rough housing or giggles in the house, in addition most Moms would not be able to find time to find their sanity if you weren't there to take up the slack. xoxo