Xmas present for Aunt M.

Tilia enjoyed it...we hope you will, when it arrives. Merry Christmas.

Who will you vote for?

Ok, so I won't be voting based on a web-match on the ABC news website, but the results are interesting. Not what I expected...hmmm.

According to the poll at ABC news I match best with:

1. Dennis Kucinich
2. Ron Paul
3. Sam Brownback !? - must be a program error on the survey.

I fiddled with it a bit and changed only one question's answer a few times and got similar results.
What I found interesting is that Kucinich and Paul were always in my top three.

Try it and let me know how it goes for you.

Salix's meet at Maple Plain

Salix did a great job - turning the beam into her best event of the night?! She normally loves the bar and vault. Here is a close-up of the bar routine for you. She's getting so good and tries so hard. She has such determination to get things done. Enjoy!

Here is the RSS for Big Bro'

Let me know how this works for ya'.

This image may not work, but the sidebar image should do the trick if this isn't attached correctly.

Our 100th post!

In honor of this momentous achievement in blogging, we'd like to thank the following...

Okay, no that we've settled that, I hope you get comfortable with the new look, it may stay like this for awhile.

Also, check out the RSS feed to the right, some of you techie people may want to sign up! After all, who can go a week without their helping of Iversonian?

Thanksgiving Day 2007

Tryptophan


Wow! Michelle cooked up a fantastic meal today...somehow she even made sweet potatoes appealing?! I'm not sure how she does it.

If she cooked like this every day, I would be that guy that has his house demolished so the paramedics can get to him. My skin would ooze fluid and I'd have folds on my chest big enough to lose sandwiches. On the bright side, I may get my own TLC special.

We'll load some pics soon. I'm a bit lazy, but today I'll take the tryptophan defense.

Off to more green been goodness...take care and happy holidays to you all.

Please stay in touch. This can be a difficult time of year.

Salix's MN state qualifier meet info...

Salix competed last weekend at the 2nd state qualifier meet. It was right down the block at the Roseville Gymnastics Center.

She rocked her 1st event - the bars, and really put a lot of effort into the other events. We're proud of her and hope that she continues to enjoy her sport as she grows. Here is a clip of her bar routine, and a little of Faith's (her teammate) routine as well.



She competes again this coming weekend - the 18th. We'll see you all in Maple Plain.

Halloween time!

The weather was only slightly chilly this year, so the kids were able to snag quite a bit of sugary goodness this year. Appearing this year at the Iverson house was Salix "lil' devil", Acer "Ghoul Skeleton", Tilia "Baby Pirate", and Goliath "Fairy".

Goliath doesn't look happy in the picture, but believe me, he was happy as a lark to be strutting around town in his costume. Tilia had an early sugar crash so she was unavailable for the picture.

Happy Halloween!

Salix's Gymnastics Schedule

The meet schedule for the season is in...I'm certain that Salix would love your support at any of these meets. Joey - I hear that you might be coming into Chicago about that time?

November 3, 4 2nd state qualifier meet Roseville Gymnastics Center
November 17, 18 3rd state qualifier meet North Shore Gymnastics
December 1,2 Peppermint Twist Twin City Twisters [MPLS Convention Center]
December 8,9 Level 5 State Meet North Crest [WTF is that?]
February 7-10 Chicago Style Meet Illinois Gymnastics Institute
February 23,24 Winter Carnival Meet Midwest Gymnastics Center [St. Paul Rivercentre]

We'll post this as a permanent link on the sidebar at some point.

Hope you can all make it to a meet * Salix is pumped about this season.

Hannah Montana Concert Tonight!

The girls are having a GNO (Girls Night Out) tonight at the Target Center. I had the fortunate opportunity to purchase tickets - from ticketmaster during the 30 seconds of time the show wasn't sold out. I don't think it is possible to be fortunate that you could buy tickets from TicketMaster, but this might be the exception to that rule.

Have fun, ladies.

One of the reasons why everybody loves Acer...

I (re)found this in Acer's box of Kindergarten work. His teacher had the students draw a picture of a family pet. The accuracy of this work is astounding - or disgusting - I'm not sure which at the moment. Enjoy Acer's "Goliath"

Joel's Bundle o' joy

For those of you knowledgable in things Joel/Dana - They are enjoying a wonderful baby daughter born a few weeks ago! I'll be adding a link shortly for those interested in keeping tabs. Congrats to Joel and Dana - we will be out to visit at some point- brace yourselves.

1st day of school for the kids!

As any family does, Michelle and I have pictures of the 1st days of school for the kids. However, we like the kids to have a photo in the classroom rather than outside of our house...I mean, come on, we've seen them outside of the house before - we won't visit their classrooms ever again.

Train Ride on the Zephyr

Michelle and I spent her birthday on the Zephyr train out of Stillwater. It was a very filling meal and a good getaway. Thank you Paul and Teri! We enjoyed the trip and had a good chuckle about the couple whom shared our table. I'll just say that this man thouroughly enjoyed every last morsel of food - more so than I've ever imagined anyone could. My favorite was how he ate the shrimp - then picked out any small piece left in the tail with a fork and ate that.

Happy 27th birthday, Michelle.

Whoa, been awhile...

Sorry everyone,

I've got no excuse, but I could try to come up with one or three hundred. August has been a busy month for the family.

We'll hopefully get updated on Acer's birthday, Michelle's birthday, School starting, and more...

Tilia is the big "1"!

Tilia, the baby of the family, now ready to move out and get on with her life...or so she says. Before she could run off and join the peace corp or hop over to Vegas with that boy across the street, we enjoyed a nice birthday party at Buca - St. Paul. T loves herself the pasta, so for her, it was perfect. She knew just what to do with the cake.

Michelle's fundraising for a clean Mississippi River

Hey everybody, Michelle is still fund raising to help clean up the river. She'll be participating in a kayak group travelling 14 miles or so down the river. If you haven't yet donated to the cause, here is a link blogger doesn't like links right now, sorry!:

http://www.firstgiving.com/michelleiverson

Thanks a lot.

5th wedding anniversary!

Wow! Michelle and I have been married 5 years tomorrow. It doesn't seem like that long ago. I'll spare you all with the details of our love. Michelle - I love you, and look forward to many more years of you giving me the bird.

I need this bumper sticker...

You know, the one that says "No fat chicks!" - I need one that says "No fat dudes!". That fat guy broke my ankle - not just a sprain. The swelling is down, but it is mighty tender still. No pictures, but I think you'll be okay with that.

Genographic Project - interesting

Just an interesting project - perhaps sometime we could order one of these kits. Mr. iPhone, didn't you have some geneology records you were working on?

You can check out the project here.

Swollen Ankle

I suffered a minor ankle sprain playing some soccer this week. Michelle says "that's hot" whenever she sees my puffy ankle. Enjoy! I'm not.


Here is the incident caught in great detail:




Normal (okay, I'm no foot model)



Post Soccer Foot (that's hot!)



Compare this:

5 days left of grad school for the summer.

After Friday, I'llhave 1 online class to take and one monster research paper to complet- then summers with the kids.I can't wait.

Michelle's mad skilz!

Michelle hasn't done this in years. She looks like she is still a regular at the Lumberjack Bowl! Few of you know that she was world champ in 1983. Yep, both her and Dr. J. - champs in '83.




Here is how the Miami Herald put it in 1983. Michelle doesn't even know that she was mentioned in this article. Surprise, honey.

Source: HERALD STAFF
Six-year-old Cari Ann Hayer, a girl who loves to roll logs like a lumberjack, went to the World Lumberjack Championship competition in Hayward, Wis., Sunday and left with a second place trophy as big as she is, competition officials said. Miami's littlest lumberjack was narrowly beaten in the junior girls' championship by 8-year-old Michelle Dickenson of Hayward. "It couldn't have been any closer," said Cari's father, J.B.

Published on August 1, 1983, Page 1B, Miami Herald, The (FL)

Kayaking the Brule...

"She'll feel better once she yaks." - Glenn- "The Wedding Singer""



Yep, Michelle felt better after the kayak run down the beautiful Brule. We've gone this route before, but this was an exceptionally great day. Here's a partial list of the wildlife we saw on the journey:


Evening Grossbeak
Cedar Waxwing
Otter
Trout
Common Merganser
Kingfisher (?)
Some bird that was fairly large - yes, that's the one.
Cool Dragonflies
Rotting Deer Skull, which shouldn't have been pulled out of the water (it stunk something fierce!)
Oriole
Plover type bird - hmmmm.

Mini-golf

Acer is the man - he should go pro. The physics behind this shot amaze me everytime I watch it. This marvels Davis Love III's putt at the masters. It was boy night out last night and look out ladies - Acer is back and ready for action - he impressed a few ladies in the foursome before us with this brilliance of mini-putt. Check it aaauuut!

Oh yes, West's Dairy

Here we are, we wish you all were here as well.

Log Rolling lessons in Hayward

Again, from West's Hayward Dairy - good ice cream - and chai is decent.

We've updated our flickr set - so you can check out great shots of the family like this->
We call this shot "Heaven". They have the old fashioned fudge and confection shop in Hayward - a must eat every time we are in town. Anyone need anything while we're up here. Send your requests via cell phone or email.

Today is Kayak day - and no, that isn't some type of obscure hooved mammal - we'll be on the Namakagon for most of the day. Acer learned a valuable lesson last night: be certain to wear underwear with any zippered pants.


Here's a Jon's eye view of the kids log rolling:

Copper Falls for the day.

The fam went out to Copper Falls for a picinic and nature walk. The kids thought that meant "swim" in the cool bad river.

We've got video of it, but somehow, I missed the splash of both kids. We'll be making a flickr set of our pictures later this week and post the link soon. Enjoy yourselves while we're on vacation, it doesn't last long.



Jackie took this shot of the family on a bench. This might just be our first family picture with all five of us.


Oh, that flickr address: here!

Blogging from West's Dairy in Hayward...

While enjoying the scenic views and old Velveeta wooden crates, Michelle and I will be blogging all week from West's Dairy in Hayward, Wisconsin. Today, mini-putt, tomorrow...tie my toes to a cooler full of beer and tube down the St. Croix headwaters.


Peace Out!

Michelle completes the Waconia Triathlon...again

Another weekend, another event. Can't keep this girl still. Although the time wasn't what she hoped, I'm sure she's happy to have completed the event. In my mind, swimming stinks no matter what - even more so when it comes before a bike and a run! Acer made a list in his notebook that marked down each dog that the kids harassed - loved - during the day. The kids found nearly 20 dogs - but could have had plenty more, time willing.

t time is a wobbling bottle lover.

From this vid, you can tell - we've got to get Tilia to stop with the bottled beverages.

Gary Bjorkland 1/2 marathon weekend.

Michelle completed the 1/2 marathon up in Duluth as part of Grandma's weekend. I'm impressed with the ease at which she accomplished it. Hard to believe that there wasn't a "why am I doing this?" moment during the race, but that's what she says!

It was extremely hot and muggy for a Duluth morning, but Michelle didn't mind - it usually is pretty chilly running next to Lake Superior at 6:30 in the morning. With a goal of 2:10-2:15, Michelle's time of 2:12 was great for her first attempt at this distance. I do wish I had a picture...running too fast for the slow shutter speed of our digital. Next up for Michelle is the Lake Waconia Triathlon next weekend. Congrats, baby!

You can check out our Grandma's Flickr photo set for a more detailed account of the weekend.

Grandma's marathon

Michelle is going to do the Gary Bjorklund half marathon on Saturday. Cousing Sara is running it, also - I think they both have similar time goals for finishing. If anybody is in Duluth this weekend, come cheer her on. I'm impressed with her training. It really does say something about a person when they can stay committed to a long run every week and cross training throughout the week - as well as keep a family running. We hope to see you up there.

Tilia is walking!

We'll have to put up a YouTube, later. She is moving around way too fast for her own good. A bit tipsy still, but multiple steps at a time! Just in time for summer on our dried up lawn - we've had 6 days of 90 degree weather in June so far. Minnesota only averages 14 such days all summer.

Oh-Oh

Tilia's first word(s). Although it is more of a double grunt, but she'll be up to "tractor" any day now.

Oh, someone wished me "Happy" Memorial Day...huh?

Michelle to save the Mighty Mississippi!

Hello,

I am raising money for Friends of the Mississippi River and would
really welcome your support.

Please take a moment to visit my online fundraising page and make a
donation. It's really easy - you can donate by credit card and receive a
record of your donation. Here's my page:

Rollin' on the River

All donations are secure and sent directly to Friends of the
Mississippi River. Please join me in supporting Friends of the Mississippi River
and a fabulous cause!

Thanks and best wishes,

Michelle

Tilia, feelin' better...

T is feeling much better after the bout with some "mysterious infection". Antibiotics are still against living things. No hope to win the Republican primary in 2008.

Tilia pictures

We had Tilia pose for a few pics on Sunday. We went to Kiddie Candids in Roseville - you can check out the pics here.

It will always amaze me how time flies with children. It seems like last week that we brought her home from United. Perhaps time goes quickly due to my lack of memory. In fact, this guy remembers more than I do most of the time.

2 items of not today:

Michelle bought a scooter.

I am on a soccer team. Better keep my insurance card handy.

I am Wood - Brimhall K program

This is a family classic, unfortunately, Acer is hidden for most of the clip. However, you can hear him quite well - his voice is a smooth mix of Marvin Gaye and singer from Chicago - during their sappy prom ready love ballad years around 1984, Peter Cetera. Enjoy!

Acer's Kindergaten Program

Brimahall school (sounds private, doesn't it?) had their annual Kindergarten program yesterday. As with Salix's, Michelle and I were impressed with the content that they teach the Kindergarteners~! Acer knows so much now about Minnesota and the unique biomes of the area - in Kindergarten.

The kids sang a family favorite - "I am wood!" We'll post a video later for that one. In the meantime, Acer made a great drawing of our state bird. Check it out!

The joy of new clothing!

Michelle introduced Tilia to the joys of a new outfit tonight. Tilia seemed pleased with how it looked, but gargled something about the hat making her thighs look chunky.

Dumb dog...

I've discovered a possible reason why Goliath is dim. He eats paste. Or more correctly, glue sticks. Yes, Goliath, I caught you red handed.

Building a patio

I'm in the middle of a few projects (Michelle is not a fan of this). One is a new patio in the back of the house. Tilia has been eager to help! Acer and Salix have been helping to keep the pavers clean with their water pistols.

Happy Easter!

Just a quick shout out to all fam/friends. Cold as it was, the kids enjoyed hunting for Easter baskets and the adults enjoyed Michelle's creation - Chicken Wellington. Like an Easter egg, but for adults.

Up north for birthday parties.

We went off to Doug and Jane's new place on the Black River this weekend for celebrations of two `1 year old cousins - Evan and Rylan? I'm not certain about the spelling, nor was he. Tilia played nice - and didn't make strange. T-zilla and Ry Kong wreaked havoc for all fischer-price family members. Bodies and cars were everywhere!

Any of you who read this blog regularly know I love food. Let me inform you here: Doug knows how to make up some tasty scrambled eggs and pancakes. Michelle said I could eat breakfast for her because she didn't feel much like eating.

I'm reduced to this?

I have mad mind reading skills - and I'll quote Goliath.

"I'm a Great Dane. A Great Dane! - you hear me? Great! It's not...Sufficient Dane~! This posing with a mini football is sooo beneath me. Go get a Beagle if you want this type of crap!"

Did I say "direct quote"?

messing around

I've made a website -no, not this one.

I've actually created a website for Midwest Gymnastics Center. Learning HTML and CSS lingo isn't as complicated as it may seem. I'll give you the url when it "goes live" - I even know some industry jargon! Look out Google, Yahoo, Magellan.com, Dog pile, Search.com, Go.com, Northern Lights.com, webcrawler.com, lycos.com..........seriously, I don't think they have much to worry about. Acer and I have kept busy lately doing the needed yard work. I don't think anybody digs a better hole in the dirt than Acer.

Been awhile...Tilia = 8 months old!

Here is Tilia helping me change a jug of water into the cooler. She is closer to 7 months in this clip, but who's counting. I joke that when I teach genetics to middle school kids I must forget about Tilia. She doesn't seem to have any genes from me. Straight up 100% Michelle.

Tilia says "Hi."

Here is the babe. She's pulling herself up and standing quite well with the support of the coffee table these days. Acer calls her "T-Mobile".

speaking of monster snowmen...

This is near my school. Wow, I watched a bit as 5 people lifted the "body" section of one of these bad boys up. Yes, that is a sports cone for the nose.

Long time, no post

I've uncovered a backlog of posts - just waiting for someone to read them. Enjoy!

Here is our backyard -about two weeks ago. We'll be done with this snow by next weekend.

Happy Birthday, Paul

Props to this dude. He's made it 57 years today. Happy Birthday, Dad.

More on Chicago..

This appetizer was sooo goood -0 yeah- that's a 3 o on the o scale. It is unfortunat?e that you haven't invested in the new "scratch and sniff" monitor. This was as good as it looks. This restaurant experience was at the Frontera Grill - run by Rick Bayless (a public television dude in Chicago?). It was recommended by Laura and Brian.


Michelle thought it was cool that she was able to catch up with Laura in person and see the family.
According to the website it is the 3rd Best casual restaurant in the world. I can't vouch for that acclaim, but Michele and I enjoyed the interesting & authentic dishes quite a bit. Michelle laughs, but I like to take pictures of the food we eat while out of town - got a problem with that?

Pizza Uno

Here is what I took home from Chicago - a pizza that I'm still digesting. They do make a good pizza, however, Michelle and I are more fans of the thick and chewy crust for deep pizzas. This crust was almost "pie" like - flaky and crispy. Acer enjoyed the pizza much more than Salix (surprise?).

Speaking of Acer, he took this great self portrait in Chicago. We'll be posting more Chicago pics shortly. While in the second city, we also hit the aquarium and some restaurant run by a dude on public television. Remind me to post about the awful Sheraton Towers at some point...I'm still recovering from how dry the room was.

Chicago Style

Wow, what a great time we had in Chicago. We took a mini vacation down to the windy city while Salix was competing in the Chicago Style Invitational. It is the largest women's gymnastic meet in the world. Roughly 3,500 gymnasts participated in the event. Salix wasn't feeling as good as normal - still feeling the effects of strep throat - so she was a bit of her game. She still tried very hard and impressed us with her tenacity. Salix was in love with the American Girl store~! This event was like Christmas all over again for the store. Thousands of girls staying the weekend on Michigan Avenue = $$$$ to the American Girl store. We were one of the lucky families and escaped with only purchasing a flapper outfit.

Occasional info from me

I really like this song. I'm sure I'll regret this at some point...Forever cached in some google server. Ben Kweller Sundress I won't get into why I like it so much here, but something that puts me in a better mood around birthday time = good.

Tilia eating sweet potatoes

Just a "taste" of a weekend at this Iverson house. It hasn't even tried to approach zero degrees outside so I thought I'd spend some time updating our scrapbook. Enjoy!? -0 obviously I haven't fixed the keyboard, yet.

Yes, I know why you left Minnesota...

Cold. Look at the temp this weekend! Check out the weather underground thermometer to the right and check out the weekend forecast.

High of -2...Fahrenheit.

Bubble making

Acer tells us that he knows three ways to make bubbles.

1. bubble gum
2. spit
3. in the bathtub

Brick Tamland says...

I love... carpet. Tilia also loves carpet. I far as I know she hasn't yet stabbed a man with a trident.

What happened to Tilia?

Tilia is growing - and so cute.
Current likes: Solid foods [bananas, peas], her middle + ring fingers.
Current dislikes: Anyone cleaning her nose, Shrek.

Acer's Invention...

You all know that Acer views the world with a unique perspective. When I asked him to organize some of the "stuff" in his room...this was the result. Gotta love that kid.

Gymnastics at Concordia - St. Paul

Salix had a great 2nd meet! She increased her scores in all of the events. She has already made a qualifying score to move up to the next level (5)! She has her bigest meet yet coming up-The winter Carnival Classic!

"Last Place" Chili

Wow, I would have taken a picture for you all, but I ate it all to fast. Michelle makes a great pot of chili! I think that even Chad and Milla would appreciate this stuff. Next time you're in Minnesota we'll make up a batch for you. Oh...why "last place"? A few years ago, Michelle brought this stuff up to Hayward, WI for a chili cook-off. The judges all made comments in a similar vein.

-"This ain't chilli!"
-"This is hotdish, not chilli!"

Chilli in the northwoods requires meat -0 in fact the general rule off thumb is this:

A good chilli contains massive quantities of meat from a variety of different types of mammals.

Salix's floor routine -level 4

We finally have a cord for the camera-computer connection. This is one item we found on the camera. It is of Salix at the holiday spirit invitational at Hamline University - Sometime in December.

Michelle thinks I have Alzheimer's because I forget where I place things a lot. As you can see from this video, sadly, I have Parkinson's as well.