'Tis the Season

'Tis the season! The holidays came upon us so fast this year. Santa and Mrs. Claus made a special visit to Mommy's work for a Christmas breakfast. The kids wrote and gave letters to Santa and are hoping for some nice surprises under the tree. We selected and decorated our Christmas tree the first weekend of December. It was Presley's turn to top the tree. The kids are now fully engaged in the decorating activities. This month, Mom also surprised Dad on his birthday with a trip to Vegas to see an acoustic Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds show. And the surprises continued when we arrived. Sister Annie came to help her brother celebrate another great year! Thanks Grammie for watching the kids!

In Cambria with Our "Kaukana" Pals

Our week finished with a wonderful visit with friends. Unfortunately, the kids still struggled with health. Upon arrival in Cambria, we got Presley started on antibiotics for her cough which lingered on. And Canyon started getting sick (so we started him on the oral steroids). Nevertheless, our kids were troopers. In Cambria, we enjoyed many great walks along the beach with our pals, a great Thanksgiving dinner that our pal Eric prepared for us, wine tasting in the Paso Robles region, and a kick off to the Christmas season with a lighting ceremony in downtown Paso Robles with christmas carols and the "real Mrs. Claus and real elves".

The Beauty of Big Sur

After Monterey, we continued down the wild and rugged stretch of Highway 1 to Big Sur, where we stayed in a cute little cabin along a river. Our day was filled with hikes to the beach, where the kids took off their pants to traverse bone chilling knee deep water to get to Andrew Molera State Beach. We also enjoyed the most amazing sunset at Pfeifer State Beach, where the sun set between two amazing rock croppings. The kids played on the sand dunes while Ron played his guitar. While in Big Sur, we also took in the views and a cocktail at Nepenthe with a patio that is suspended 800 feet above the surf.

Taking in the Best of Monterey

After San Francisco, we began our drive down the coast. The road trip kicked off well with an awesome lunch at Gazo's Grill on Highway 1, where we enjoyed live music and breakfast for lunch. In Monterey, we enjoyed an evening fire on the beach (you can still do fires on the beach up there). And we stayed at the amazing Mission Ranch Inn, staying in the Bunkhouse with a great view and a relaxing setting. Presley's cough peaked this night but we got her started on oral steroids, which helped her make it through the night. In the morning, Mom and Dad enjoyed a nice game of tennis. And then Canyon and Mom spent the morning at the amazing Monterey Aquarium. We finished off our time in Monterey with the beautiful 17-mile drive along the coast.

Thanksgiving Along the California Coast

The kids had the entire week of Thanksgiving off. We continued our 2008 tradition of connecting with friends in Cambria, CA for the holiday. To kick off the trip, we enjoyed the weekend before Thanksgiving in San Francisco, staying with our friends Marc and Elaine. The weekend got off to a rough start because Presley was under the weather. However, she rallied as we enjoyed the San Francisco sights. We took the famous cable cars down to the Fisherman's Wharf, playing games in the old fashioned arcade, checking out the original Boudin Sourdough Bakery, watching the seals and enjoying the views of Alctraz, and listening to street music while having fresh steamed dungeness crab. Our days ended with great conversations with our friends. And the kids favorite highlight was playing Guitar Hero with new pals Erica and Damien late into the night.

Hallloween 2009

Halloween 2009 was extra fun because we were able to celebrate on Friday (Adults) and Saturday (with the kids). Our friends, the Coopers, hosted an amazing Halloween party that went late into the night. Ron and Trisha dressed up as Cruella De Ville and her #1 Dalmatian. On Saturday the kids dressed up as a Skeleton Zombie and a Rocker Zombie. Dad took the kids trick or treating around the neighborhood in a Domino costume. The kids stopped off at home periodically to drop of their "loot" and continue on. The night ended with several neighborhood visit stops for all. A fun 2009 celebration!

Last Stop - Grandpa and Grammy Liz's House

Our last stop was at Grandpa and Grammy Liz's house. On our first day, Mom took the kids to Disney's California Adventure. We went on scary rides like the Tower of Terror and more tame rides like Mickey's Swinging Gondola (which was scary to Mom and Canyon but not to Presley). We made the most of every minute at the park. The kids also had a blast swimming in Grandpa's pool, spending probably 4 or 5 hours a day swimming, sliding on the water slide and playing in the hot tub. The end of the week was Mom's 10 year business school reunion. 150 of her classmates showed up to enjoy Friday Night Beer Bust, Saturday Picnic with In & Out Burger, and a Saturday Reunion dinner. Mom was also excited to show off UCLA to the kids. While Mom was at the reunion, the kids enjoyed special time with Grammy Liz and Grandpa.

Next Stops - Cousin Dylan and Auntie Annie

Our next stops included visits with cousin Dylan and Aunt Amanda. The kids enjoyed a visit to the Calabasas Pumpkin festival where Mom tried her hand at the pumpkins seed spitting contest (and won longest shot for the woman). The kids also enjoyed swimming in the hot tub. After Dylan's house, we then went to Santa Barbara to visit Auntie Annie. We played on the beach, got barked at by the Pelicans on the pier, and saw "Where the Wild Things Are."

California Adventure - 1st Stop - Hanson Family

We found out Dad had to go to Israel for work for a week. So Mom and the kids decided to take a family vacation (our first without him) out to California. It was a week full of great visits with friends and family and fun excursions. Our first stop was with Sharon and the girls. We played on the trampoline, got haircuts Hollywood style, and enjoyed visits to Pinkberry. And Mom and Sharon enjoyed a night out with all of her old Disney pals at STK restaurant. We also were lucky to avoid the H1N1 virus that we think Samantha had.

October is Here

October is off to a very, very cold start. We've had 3 days of snow (yes, 3 days of snow!). On October 4th, we made our annual trek out to the Twin Cities to cheer on pals and the runners. The kids cheered them on with these bonging balloons. And Ron and I committed to doing a marathon in 2010! Yes you heard it here first. In the fall, we usually try to get out to the apple orchard and corn mazes but this year we were just too busy and it was just too cold. So we made it to our local garden store to pick out pumpkins and take some fall pictures. We got our first snow on October 10th. Presley loved it, got dressed up, and started making "grass angels".

End of September Updates

Yes. I know it's the end of October. It's been a bit crazy in the Pergande household. Here are some excerpts from the end of September. Presley has lost her upper tooth. It seems way to early. And just a week later she lost the other one. Looking good just in time for her first official school pictures.


Ron and Trisha got to check out the new Minnesota Gopher stadium. It was an amazing game, Gophers vs. Cal Bears. We went with our pals Romi and Glen and enjoyed a Cal win. What a fun day.



And here's a picture of Canyon trying to keep the bugs off of him at one of Presley's soccer games. Has the chair cover tied like a bandana and another tied like a shawl.