Crazy week as we had the spider slaying, Karley home with rumbly belly on Monday and Pres home for the rest of the week. Try as we might we could not get his belly to pass the daycare test. Any sign of ick and he is sent home. Karl & Reg tag teamed the parenting by splitting up the days home. Pres was a trooper and was just fine to stay home and play. He went on a couple of walks and ate loads of bananas. We made it through the week, tackled some wicked diaper rash and still telling the story of giant spider duo.
The weekend was sort of abbreviated. Saturday we went to bagels as per the usual. Pres was napping so we squeezed in a drive through of Bear Country and remarkably Pres woke up so we had to walk through the the rest. After that we made our way back to Reptile Gardens. Although we haven't done most anything more than once (Bear Country does not count!!) we returned to Reptile Gardens as we went before most of the attractions had opened up. We found that there was an actual garden there, the grounds are very pretty and that most things made there way outdoors for shows or alternate sunny paddocks. The huge turtles we still huge and we found out they are as old as 127!! The snakes were still impressive as were the prairie dogs. The croc/gator/cayman show was also pretty neat. Overall a good experience and glad we made it back. We wrapped up Saturday with a trip to Cabela's (loads of stuffed/mounted animals in lifelike poses...ironic?) and then Karl wasted enough time to get out of cleaning the garage. Really if there were awards for avoidance of unfun tasks Karl would take the gold!
Sunday was a little odd as Regan had to work most of the day. Karl & Pres passed the time at the mall and ..um...yep you guessed it, more Bear Country. At this point she should be embarrassed but she can't help herself. Anyway after some shopping and errands the family all met up and headed to Old McDonalds Farm. This turned out to be much cooler than expected. A petting zoo with all sorts of neat things to touch and see. Pig races, bottle feeding calves, incubated chicks, huge Highland Bull things, ducks with afros, sheep, cute baby goats and big old goats that hung out on a bridge. Fun and Preston really wanted to see and touch most things. Lots of hand washing and giggles later we headed out to a new Mexican restaurant...A+! Finally a stop at the market and then home to take part in the draft. So fun and we are looking forward to the football season.
Hope you guys had a great weekend and got more accomplished than we did. Regan has indicated that the garage is main priority this next weekend...Labor Day indeed!
xoxo
Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Not-so-bonus Blog
Just a quick little update on the Monster situation. (if you don't know about the monster situation then make sure to read the previous blog first)
This morning Karley stayed home from work as she woke up with a case of the I-ate-something-grosses. All was going fine until she glanced out the back door to check and see if the monster had set up its own lawn furniture on its porch. Unfortunately there was another spider!! Bigger than the first and looking totally different.
At this point you need to imagine freaking out, going Ape, shaking spine, hebbie jeebies, cold sweat and the need to vomit or pass out. I want to say this is an exaggeration but seriously this house has a firm grasp of "the phobia". We are both babies of the family which means in our previous lives there was a long line of folks ready to kill a creepy crawlys for us. Okay not a long line but I had my mom and Regan usually took matters into his own hands relying on brute force, fire and battle cries. Needless to say the eradicating of XXLarge pests is not something taken lightly.
After taking some photos I got in contact with the base entomologists. Sgt Owens talked me down and then assured me that the spiders are more scared of me then I am of it. I call BS!!! I emailed my photos and he declared it was a simple wolf spider. Hard to kill as they need to be directly sprayed or captured. He recommended sticky traps. As they are not poisonous they were not gonna come out and get it for me....even though I did assure him that my spider had biceps and must be working out. He thought it was a good idea for Kidd the cat to take care of it. Kidd is a lover not a fighter and no way I wanted to ref that fight. Who would unpin Kidd...not me!!
So anyway I called Regan and gave him the info and he told me he had a plan. Sure enough he came home and prepared for battle. Got out his shop vac, bleach, bic lighter and duct tape. His plan was to vacuum the nook the spiders were living in and drown them in bleach if all went well. Turns out it went more than well. He flipped the switch. Felt a mighty thump along the hose as something was pulled from its dwelling and the battle was over. Then the psyching himself up came. He was certain that they were alive and trying to get out of the shop vac. Once he opened it he saw the force of the suction roller coaster slamming the tan spider about killed him! On top of that we saw that there were "parts" of the black spider around the bottom of the bucket. We think there must have been a battle royale last night and tan spider took down black spider. Frankly how it all shook out is not as important as the TWO beasts being dead! PHEW and huge sigh of relief!
Anyhow we are coming down from the adrenaline rush that goes with killing something a fraction of your size. See the pics for our documentation.
p.s. RIP spiders, I know you are Gods creatures and all but really I wouldn't live with a polar bear or shark either.
This morning Karley stayed home from work as she woke up with a case of the I-ate-something-grosses. All was going fine until she glanced out the back door to check and see if the monster had set up its own lawn furniture on its porch. Unfortunately there was another spider!! Bigger than the first and looking totally different.
At this point you need to imagine freaking out, going Ape, shaking spine, hebbie jeebies, cold sweat and the need to vomit or pass out. I want to say this is an exaggeration but seriously this house has a firm grasp of "the phobia". We are both babies of the family which means in our previous lives there was a long line of folks ready to kill a creepy crawlys for us. Okay not a long line but I had my mom and Regan usually took matters into his own hands relying on brute force, fire and battle cries. Needless to say the eradicating of XXLarge pests is not something taken lightly.
After taking some photos I got in contact with the base entomologists. Sgt Owens talked me down and then assured me that the spiders are more scared of me then I am of it. I call BS!!! I emailed my photos and he declared it was a simple wolf spider. Hard to kill as they need to be directly sprayed or captured. He recommended sticky traps. As they are not poisonous they were not gonna come out and get it for me....even though I did assure him that my spider had biceps and must be working out. He thought it was a good idea for Kidd the cat to take care of it. Kidd is a lover not a fighter and no way I wanted to ref that fight. Who would unpin Kidd...not me!!
So anyway I called Regan and gave him the info and he told me he had a plan. Sure enough he came home and prepared for battle. Got out his shop vac, bleach, bic lighter and duct tape. His plan was to vacuum the nook the spiders were living in and drown them in bleach if all went well. Turns out it went more than well. He flipped the switch. Felt a mighty thump along the hose as something was pulled from its dwelling and the battle was over. Then the psyching himself up came. He was certain that they were alive and trying to get out of the shop vac. Once he opened it he saw the force of the suction roller coaster slamming the tan spider about killed him! On top of that we saw that there were "parts" of the black spider around the bottom of the bucket. We think there must have been a battle royale last night and tan spider took down black spider. Frankly how it all shook out is not as important as the TWO beasts being dead! PHEW and huge sigh of relief!
Anyhow we are coming down from the adrenaline rush that goes with killing something a fraction of your size. See the pics for our documentation.
p.s. RIP spiders, I know you are Gods creatures and all but really I wouldn't live with a polar bear or shark either.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Bear, Fair, Fresh Air and a Scare
More of the same for the week...work, daycare, weeknight rumbling (the fam on the floor), 9am wake ups by Pres, some video conferencing, gaming and late nights keeping up with the Olympics. We have been pleased with coverage just the timezone thing is a killer. Pleased with Swimming although Torres swiping a gold would have been cool. What is going on with our runners?? Well stay tuned... we still have another week!
The Central States Fair started this week with a parade and there will be concerts, rodeos and demolition derby in the coming week. We settled for partaking in the parade and visiting the fair. The parade was the worst parade in the history of parades and I have seen some bad ones. Any of you that recall the Frontiers Day Parade I will tell you this one would have been put to shame. See the pics but it is sad. Preston was amused and it was cool to be part of the community but there was no best in show.
We needed to kill some time in between the parade and the fair so we had to find something to do. The only thing I could come up with was bagels and Bear Country...I know, very original! Bears did not disappoint. Even added to the usual fun when a kid let his Croc fall into the bobcat enclosure. Those bobcats pounced on it within seconds...played with it till the keepers took it away. No damage but some chew marks so a pretty cool souvenir. I am kicking my shoe in for sure next time!!
Headed to the fair to see the animals, booths, craft stuff and the typical fair attractions. Not much to talk about besides getting to pet a buffalo and seeing some pretty cool whittlers. The pics explain it better than I could.
Sunday took us to Hill City to ride the Mickelson Trail (about 10 miles) and then grabbed some decent Mexican food. We made our way home to catch up on some laundry and make a few phone calls.
While Karl is on the phone she usually can't sit still so she starts doing laps around the house. While talking with Sean she ended up in the kitchen and was gazing out the window when she noticed a huge spider sunning it self on the deck. Lots of screaming, heebie jeebies and a failed attempt at poking it with a yard stick led the spider back to its nook in the wall of the house. Regan is currently plotting its demise, we will keep you updated. We added pics of the monster...ugh even writing about it is creeping me out!
Next weeks blog may be delayed since it is fantasy football draft!! Until next week...Go USA!!
xoxo
Halsted Von Trap
The Central States Fair started this week with a parade and there will be concerts, rodeos and demolition derby in the coming week. We settled for partaking in the parade and visiting the fair. The parade was the worst parade in the history of parades and I have seen some bad ones. Any of you that recall the Frontiers Day Parade I will tell you this one would have been put to shame. See the pics but it is sad. Preston was amused and it was cool to be part of the community but there was no best in show.
We needed to kill some time in between the parade and the fair so we had to find something to do. The only thing I could come up with was bagels and Bear Country...I know, very original! Bears did not disappoint. Even added to the usual fun when a kid let his Croc fall into the bobcat enclosure. Those bobcats pounced on it within seconds...played with it till the keepers took it away. No damage but some chew marks so a pretty cool souvenir. I am kicking my shoe in for sure next time!!
Headed to the fair to see the animals, booths, craft stuff and the typical fair attractions. Not much to talk about besides getting to pet a buffalo and seeing some pretty cool whittlers. The pics explain it better than I could.
Sunday took us to Hill City to ride the Mickelson Trail (about 10 miles) and then grabbed some decent Mexican food. We made our way home to catch up on some laundry and make a few phone calls.
While Karl is on the phone she usually can't sit still so she starts doing laps around the house. While talking with Sean she ended up in the kitchen and was gazing out the window when she noticed a huge spider sunning it self on the deck. Lots of screaming, heebie jeebies and a failed attempt at poking it with a yard stick led the spider back to its nook in the wall of the house. Regan is currently plotting its demise, we will keep you updated. We added pics of the monster...ugh even writing about it is creeping me out!
Next weeks blog may be delayed since it is fantasy football draft!! Until next week...Go USA!!
xoxo
Halsted Von Trap
Monday, August 11, 2008
Are you ready for some football...
Round the house there has been the buzz of the upcoming football season. Fantasy League draft is just around the corner, the anticipation of college game day getting Reg up at 7am on Saturdays and of course we have preseason games. Regan planned a quick trip for the fam to go to Minneapolis to catch a preseason game...and thank goodness it was the Seahawks!! (although 33% of us would have preferred the 49ers!)
We headed out Thursday night, stayed the night in Brandon, SD (population 4.5) and then pressed on to MN Friday morning. In time to get ourselves settled in the hotel, grab some grub, hit B&N for a local map and then we were off to the game! We took advantage of the train system to get us to and from the stadium, packed but we found seats and it was a nice way to not have to worry about parking or navigation.
The game was great. Seahawks creamed Vikings (34-17), good turnout and lots of people-watching. Pres enjoyed the clapping although the loud initially put him off. He came around though, got comfortable and then promptly fell asleep...during the game!! We all really enjoyed it. Didn't know how much of the game Pres would bear, but he gave us the whole game.
We found our way to the Mall of America (including theme park and aquarium), BabiesRus (5 mo since our last visit, that place missed us) and REI. Got some good shopping in and able to hit some of our favorite restaurants as well. We made sure to keep some semblance of routine for Pres's sake (i.e. bagels, bed time) but for the most part we winged most of it. He is a great kid and lets us drag him all over without much protest. Even 10 hours in the car didn't push him over the edge. We are grateful he puts up with our antics.
The week was more of the same...work, evening wrangle with Pres and on to the next day! We have pics and video as per the norm.
xoxox
SoDak Halsteds
We headed out Thursday night, stayed the night in Brandon, SD (population 4.5) and then pressed on to MN Friday morning. In time to get ourselves settled in the hotel, grab some grub, hit B&N for a local map and then we were off to the game! We took advantage of the train system to get us to and from the stadium, packed but we found seats and it was a nice way to not have to worry about parking or navigation.
The game was great. Seahawks creamed Vikings (34-17), good turnout and lots of people-watching. Pres enjoyed the clapping although the loud initially put him off. He came around though, got comfortable and then promptly fell asleep...during the game!! We all really enjoyed it. Didn't know how much of the game Pres would bear, but he gave us the whole game.
We found our way to the Mall of America (including theme park and aquarium), BabiesRus (5 mo since our last visit, that place missed us) and REI. Got some good shopping in and able to hit some of our favorite restaurants as well. We made sure to keep some semblance of routine for Pres's sake (i.e. bagels, bed time) but for the most part we winged most of it. He is a great kid and lets us drag him all over without much protest. Even 10 hours in the car didn't push him over the edge. We are grateful he puts up with our antics.
The week was more of the same...work, evening wrangle with Pres and on to the next day! We have pics and video as per the norm.
xoxox
SoDak Halsteds
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Wild Thing...I'll Eat You Up!!
Part of our "bedtime routine" for Preston includes reading him a story.
Sort of a funny thing as he is playing while Reg reads...so much for winding down. It is something that I think he may appreciate when he is a little older, for now his parents enjoy it. Anyway, since Pres was 4 weeks old we have read to him every night. We have gotten familiar with the stories we are partial too (again I think this is more for us than Pres). One of the stories is Where the Wild Things Are. There is a line in there that cracks me up every time. Goes like this..."The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another his mother called him "Wild Thing!" and Max said "I'll eat you up!!...".
Funny right?? Gets me every time.
Now that Pres is mobile I am starting to think of him as a wild thing. He is into everything and I think when we are not looking he grows a couple of arms. Not sure how he gets into things so quickly. One second he is in the living room and a millisecond later he is at my feet in the laundry room knocking over the cats water bowl. I swear I didn't even hear him come in there. It is just nuts. On top of the mischief he has taken to showing his teeth when you get his attention. I guess he is proud of them or secretly he is saying "I'll Eat You Up!". In addition most nights find the 3 of us on the floor for a battle royal! Pres climbs all over us and we are there as spotters to ensure he doesn't get more than the 2 bruises he is sporting on his forehead and cheek. Needless to say he is off and really wanting to run!! We are keeping up and really enjoying his little personality.
This weekend we took our Wild Thing to do some wild things...tattoo at Bear Country, A trip to see Sturgis Rally gearing up (careful a couple of risque pictures) and the regular trips to bagels, the mall and eating out. Good weekend and we are in awe of the amount of Motorcycles in town. The Rally is something else and we will steer clear as it gets going. Neat to see all the bikes, and a little of the turn out.
Hope everyone is well, xoxo
Reg, Karl & the Wild Thing
Sort of a funny thing as he is playing while Reg reads...so much for winding down. It is something that I think he may appreciate when he is a little older, for now his parents enjoy it. Anyway, since Pres was 4 weeks old we have read to him every night. We have gotten familiar with the stories we are partial too (again I think this is more for us than Pres). One of the stories is Where the Wild Things Are. There is a line in there that cracks me up every time. Goes like this..."The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another his mother called him "Wild Thing!" and Max said "I'll eat you up!!...".
Funny right?? Gets me every time.
Now that Pres is mobile I am starting to think of him as a wild thing. He is into everything and I think when we are not looking he grows a couple of arms. Not sure how he gets into things so quickly. One second he is in the living room and a millisecond later he is at my feet in the laundry room knocking over the cats water bowl. I swear I didn't even hear him come in there. It is just nuts. On top of the mischief he has taken to showing his teeth when you get his attention. I guess he is proud of them or secretly he is saying "I'll Eat You Up!". In addition most nights find the 3 of us on the floor for a battle royal! Pres climbs all over us and we are there as spotters to ensure he doesn't get more than the 2 bruises he is sporting on his forehead and cheek. Needless to say he is off and really wanting to run!! We are keeping up and really enjoying his little personality.
This weekend we took our Wild Thing to do some wild things...tattoo at Bear Country, A trip to see Sturgis Rally gearing up (careful a couple of risque pictures) and the regular trips to bagels, the mall and eating out. Good weekend and we are in awe of the amount of Motorcycles in town. The Rally is something else and we will steer clear as it gets going. Neat to see all the bikes, and a little of the turn out.
Hope everyone is well, xoxo
Reg, Karl & the Wild Thing
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