Friday, September 30, 2011

Three Amigos

Wow, the leaves are already changing and autumn is upon us!  Zander still have lots of summer photos and memories to share - Mommy better get busy!  One of our favorite images from the summer - Zander with Cousins Brady and Luke: 
Such a cute picture of the three on Nana's porch as they took a quick breather between sprints.  Here are some other fun pics - Wii, always a favorite:
Such concentration and determination - go Brady and Luke!
Brady and Zander hanging out in their undies/diapers playing at the workbench:
Having a snack at one of Cousin Luke's T-ball games:
Watching Luke bat:
Sharp uniform!
Luke running the bases:
Back in June - attending the Nature Valley Bike Festival in Uptown:
Viewing the race from the VIP deck (thanks Daddy):
Nana Pat and Zander watching as Luke and Brady headed down to the course for the Kids Race:
Uncle Bob (center, white shirt) helping get Luke started:
Luke and Brady each had a great race!
Whoa, look at those fancy medals!!
After dinner one night, Brady encouraging Zander to go into his jumpy-house:
Woo hoo - such fun!
More summer pics to follow soon... but first, two additional notes:

Zander would like to congratulate his friend Cole on the arrival his new sister, Fiona Grace!  We are so excited for Cole and his family and can't wait to meet the latest addition.  You may remember Cole and his family visiting us last fall:
Finally... last week, Zander and Mommy were driving to a big 'Celebrating Cultures' event at school (which, by the way, was excellent - Zander's classroom was decked out with Korean flags, dress, music, and cuisine!) when we were delighted to hear Daddy's voice... on the radio!  It turned out Daddy was being interviewed on Minnesota Public Radio for a big advertising campaign launch he's been working on.   

So what was the launch?  You may recall that Daddy enjoyed a nine-day trip to Cannes, France (back in June) for his contributions to an advertising campaign at General Mills.  The radio interview was related to the launch of that campaign, which has been extremely well received.  The advertisement is for Fiber One 'Magic' Brownies - and features Cheech & Chong.  Check out the campaign at http://www.magicbrownieadventure.com/.  Congratulations on all your hard work Daddy - we are very proud of you!!  (For more coverage, google "jim wilson magic brownies".)  Here's Daddy with the crew:

Friday, September 2, 2011

Fair Fun

Today we hit the 'Great Minnesota Get Together' - the State Fair.  Zander picked out his Korea jersey to wear and we were off. 
Our first stop was the Miracle of Birth Center, where we encountered a pleasant surprise - Mommy's cousin Chris and his fiancee Karissa.  It was fun to see them and get an update on their wedding plans.  Next was the Dairy Barn - here is Zander checking out the 'Princess Kay of the Milky Way' Butter display.  The princess is seated on the left (in the refrigerated case), and the woman in yellow is carving her likeness in butter (the carving takes 6-8 hours).  We love seeing this attraction each year!
 Zander checking out one of the previously carved butter princess images:
 Getting a wave from the princess... she loved it when Zander blew her a kiss!
 We enjoyed some yummy string cheese and a malt from the Dairy Barn:
 Look Mommy... mini donuts!
 Then we spent a long time checking out all of the tractors on Machinery Hill:
 My, what big tires!
 Trying to start the engine:
Next we went through the 'Little Farm Hands' Adventure.  Zander put on his apron, grabbed a pail, and checked out the corn:
 He was amazed to see a cob on the husk:
 Trying out a baby tractor:
Feeding the chickens.  (We were excited to see Medtronic as a sponsor of the attraction - see the blue volunteer shirt in back.)
 Scooping the soil and planting a seed:
 Petting the sheep (wearing his corn cob hat):
Experiencing what it's like to milk a cow:
At the end of the adventure, Zander used the 'money' he earned for his labor to 'purchase' a treat at the store - a yummy apple.  Delicious!
 Always a favorite stop - the Corn Roast.  Scrumptious!
Then Zander and Daddy went down the Giant Slide - here they are climbing the stairs on the left (about 1/2 way up):
Whee!!   The boys are in the lane on the right, about halfway down:
This was supposed to be the perfect shot of Zander and Daddy arriving at the bottom, but unfortunately 'Giant Slide' man stepped in front of me, so all you can see is part of Daddy's shorts!
 Woo Hoo!
After the slide, we headed to Sweet Martha's for a big bucket of chocolate chip cookies (Daddy's favorite).  We also ran into Mommy's boss Jan - it was fun to see her and meet her adorable granddaughter Macy. 

Zander really enjoyed all of the sights and tastes of the fair - there was so much excitement that he fell asleep as soon as we got into the car on the way home!