Time for West Virginia!

I'm off to West Virginia - with a group of teachers from Minneapolis. We'll be enjoying the festivities of the October Sky Festival in Coalwood. I'll have the extraordinary luck of speaking with many of the Rocket Boys and associated people involved in this great West Virginia community. I'll post more about this trip when I return. I return Sunday to paternity leave and a "minor" medical procedure.

Chad and Mila brought over a huge Mum plant for the outside of our house. I love native prairie plants, so this isn't normally my style, but it looks great and is so colorful. Thanks, you two!

Ivy

Damn Squirrels!

We're trying to make a natural" fence -out of cup plant and prairie sage...the squirrels have other ideas. Last night, 4 of 6 cup plants were gobbled up and 3 of 6 sage plants destroyed. We'll update you this spring on survival.

The fam headed north to D.D. Kennedy County Park yesterday. Nice area, I haven't been there in 10 years! Michelle surprised me and Salix made we wear a ridiculous blinfold until we got there. Michelle says that it would be the perfect place for a fall 5K...she's right.


That's it today...

Ivy

First day of paternity leave!

I had the baby shift today. Wonderful!! Baby T and I checked out Better Homes and Gardens Magazine back issues at the Downtown St. Paul Library. 2 things...1-you could have taken our house right out of those pictures/article's from 1955. 2- That building is tremendously cool. I like our local library, but the downtown library is a LIBRARY. I know that the new MPLS library is supposed to be the cat's meow, but I enjoy the almost quaint historicity (beat that Colbert) of St. Paul's. Any place having back issues of BH&G from 1950 is doing something right.

Ivy

Jon, your blog is a little dusty...

Yep, that's my brother. Alas, he is correct. I'm not trying to make excuses, but if I was:

Some yahoo stole our camera and the neighbor's maternity bra...don't ask.

Michelle is doing the Birkebiener 15k trail run this Saturday. She's a trooper.

We'll get some shots up later this week.

J

Welcome baby Linden (Tilia)

After what I consider a long labor, (and I didn't have much pain) - 11 hours - Tilia August Iverson joined us in St. Paul. Essential Stats: 7 1/4 lbs. 20 inch 7:21 per mile pace with a killer sprint kick at the end.

For those that love pictures...more will come.

Much more to come, we are a bit busy with the baby and our "other" baby that needs constant watering.
More on that later as well.

Ivy

Chisago Lakes Triathlon (Kids)

The kiddy race today in Chisago Lakes...Great time for the kids, but the worst managed triathlon ever (I checked).
Both tried hard and left with medals for finishing. Salix wants to do 4 more this summer, and Acer requests a morning jog every day immediately after he wakes up (well, almost). Michelle is looking forward to having baby! It should be anytime now. I don't organize triathlons, but I think that with 300 participants some things would have been worked out. #1 - participants should not use the same exit/entrance for all transitions (both out of and into bike). #2 - do not force competitors to cross paths with other running/biking competitors. I am shocked that no skulls were cracked during this race. If anyone skulls were crushed...I think mohawk boy could've been involved.

Chaska Triathlon 2006 - appropriate sign

Just finished the one triathlon I'll try this summer. The wifey couldn't have framed this shot any better...because I felt about as fast as the sign above me indicated - a slow walk. It doesn't seem possible, but I swear it is true - the whole bike course of this triathlon is uphill! I'm not the only one saying this.

Ivy