Summer is in Full Swing

The kids have just ended their summer sports season. Canyon had a great soccer and T-ball season. In baseball, he caught his first line drive and hit the coach's pitches consistently. And in soccer, he was a top scoring player for the Red Flames. Presley finished her first season of Rookie Camp baseball. On her last day, she had an amazing play while "sitting" at third. She stopped the ball and threw it towards first. On offense, she wasn't up for running the bases yet this season. But maybe next year! Mom celebrated the end of a season of hard work as commissioner with her co-commissioner pal Michelle.



Presley came with Mom to get her toes painted. Presley picked red and yellow for her toes. "I'm making a pattern!"


We also are spending more time on the boat. Went boating with our friends, the Smiths. Enjoyed some time tubing and sleeping on the boat!

Day Family Visit

The Day Family came to visit us from Chicago this past weekend. We had an adventure filled weekend with both of our crews. On Saturday, we headed downtown to the Walker Art Center, where we played miniature golf on a special exhibit, an artist designed "eco-course". We also checked out the famous Cherry and Spoon in the Sculpture Garden. After an adventurous round of golf, we stopped by the Stone Arch Bridge Festival, where we listened to some music and Mom bought some lovely baby ducks for our patio. On Sunday, we took our first Excel boat trip on Lake Minnetonka for Father's Day. The whole crew enjoyed tubing. And Mom did great as Captain for the first time. Next time it is Ron's turn. Thank you Day family for trekking to Minnesota!

End of School Year, Beginning of Sport Seasons

Summer is on it's way. Presley is starting her first year of baseball (Rookie Camp) on the Red Sox. And Canyon has started T-ball and plays on the Dodgers. Mom is the commissioner for both leagues (with 400 kids). This past week, Canyon also finished his first year of Kindergarten. Wow, does time fly by! This past week he had a Kindergarten performance where his class performed an authentic dance from Chile, where his class intern, Caro, is from. And I also had to highlight Presley's flower child spirit this week!

Memorial Day Weekend: Itasca State Park

For Memorial Day weekend, we drove 5 hours up north to Itasca State Park, where the Mississippi River begins its amazing journey to the Gulf of Mexico. We camped, biked, scootered, and hiked all over this special state park. Although Presley declared, "I actually don't like to hike." We also went to a campfire program on our state bird, the loon, saw the largest red and white pines in Minnesota, and got hit by a hail storm (a crazy 10-minute storm that knocked out the skylight on the trailer). It was definitely an adventurous weekend!

A Turn in Seasons

Presley shocked me this past week as she put on her PJs. "I am going to wear my Cinderella pajamas tonight." I was so shocked that I had to take a picture. She wore the pajamas the next night too and wanted to watch Snow White. Our funny little girl!

We were so excited that the tulips we planted as a family last fall came up this spring. We took some pictures to capture their first year in our yard!

Mom went to Boston this week to speak at the Front End of Innovation Conference. Her presentation went extremely well. On the last day of the conference, she was able to do the Freedom Trail to view the historic sights (like Paul Revere's house) before she caught her flight home.

And Canyon's first school year is nearing an end. This week he had his Kindegarten concert, where he and his schoolmates sang to us in both Spanish and English. And we also said goodbye to the interns that came from abroad to help in his school's classrooms. This is Caro, from Chile, at an end of the year picnic for the interns.

Mid May Update

We've been getting back into the swing of things after our overseas adventures. Which is why I am behind on the Pergande updates. I did have to include an excerpt from the Sydney Bridge climb, a most amazing experience! On my last night in Sydney, I climbed to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge (attached by cords). I walked up at dusk and was able to see the transition from day to night. I was totally scared because of my fear of heights but the adventure was well worth it!


Since we've been back in Minneapolis, we are just getting back into our normal routines like making recipes from Canyon and Presley's magazines, getting ready for summer sports (soccer and baseball have just begun). On Mother's Day, Mom enjoyed a nice relaxing day with the family. We played tennis with Presley's school friend, Shelly the turtle, who visited us for the weekend, planted some flowers, went to church, and watched the season finale of Survivor. You might also notice that Canyon has a new cast on. When we went to see the orthopedic specialist at Children's, they said his arm wasn't healed enough. So he had to get a new cast for two more weeks. This one glows in the dark and is waterproof though, which makes it bearable for Canyon who is anxious to get his arm back!

Sydney, Australia

Our wonderful adventure to Australia continues! We arrived in Sydney (or "Cyndy" as Presley and Canyon refer to it) on Thursday April 10. We stayed at the charming Russell Hotel in the heart of the Rocks district. On our first night, we took a stroll around and stopped in at the Lord Nelson, the oldest hotel in Sydney, where Mom enjoyed a Quayle Ale (named after Dan Quayle).


On Friday, we took a city ferry to the beautiful Manly beach that is lined with Norfolk Island pines. The kids enjoyed playing in the water and getting buried in the sand! In the afternoon, Mom and the kids took a stroll along the amazing Sydney Harbor Bridge, climbing to the top of the Pylon towers! And in the evening, we enjoyed the sunset by the opera house and watched the lights of the Sydney bridge come up. An amazing sight!





On Saturday, we enjoyed another great day along the ocean front. We started the morning with a bus tour that dropped us off at Watson's bay where we enjoyed spectacular views and a nice cliff top stroll by "The Gap".



We spent the afternoon by the famous Bondi and Bronte beaches. We again played in the sand and watched the surfers. We enjoyed an amazing lunch at Nick's Bondi Beach Pavillion and completed the afternoon with a nice walk along a path that winds along the cliffs to Bronte beach. A great and relaxing day!