Your visits to the state of Wisconsin

You and your Uncle Chris at your birthday party
at Grandpa and Grandma Bignell's in 2008.

One other state that you've been to - and after California and Minnesota is the state you've spent the most time in - is Wisconsin (My home state!).

You've been to Wisconsin twice. The first time, from Dec. 11, 2007, through early September 2008, you lived with Grandpa and Grandma Bignell on their farm in Knapp, Wis. I have lots of pictures of your stay there!

Then, in October 2008, we drove on I-94 from the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport to Baldwin, Wis. Along the way, we stopped at the visitor center in Hudson, Wis. (The center no longer exists.), and I got some Green Bay Packers football cards for you there!

Remember you pinpression?

One toy you enjoyed playing with as a child was a pinpression. It had plastic sticks that you could press your hand or other objects against, and the other side would show its impression! Yours had neon purple sticks.

We often used the pinpression when playing with your Star Wars action figures by placing the characters in it, pretending it was a block of carbonite, like what Han Solo was placed in during "The Empire Strikes Back" and "The Return of the Jedi"!

Over time, some of the sticks broke off, fell out and were bent in the pinpression. But we still enjoyed it anyways!

Our visit to Moonlight Beach

Aug. 7, 2011

Two years ago today, we spent the morning at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas.
You had a blast letting the waves of the Pacific Ocean splash over your feet! Then we made sand castles, which you enjoyed "destroying" in an imaginary battle in the end! Being all wet from the ocean water, the sand sure stuck to you!

Usually we went out for breakfast to Denny's in Encinitas then drove down to the beach, parking on the vista above the beach. Then we'd have to take a long walk down a path to the beach. I always was worried that you'd trip and fall on the steep path, but you never did. You didn't enjoy walking back up it, though! From there, we'd drive back to Palmdale.

Here's some pictures from our time at the beach!

Our day in Disneyland two years ago!

Pirate helper, Aug. 6, 2011.

Two years today we spent the day in Disneyland! It was a Saturday, and I picked you up in Palmdale; then we drove to Anaheim.

You got to be the pirate helper at the telling of "Peter Pan" in the House of the Future. Then we went on the SS Columbia ship in Frontierland.

Next we went back over to the do the Jedi Academy, where you fought Darth Vader. Later, it was off to Tom Sawyer Island in Frontierland.

Finally, we went over California Adventure and played on the Redwood Challenge Trail. Then we left for my home in Encinitas!

Here's a whole bunch of pictures from our adventure!

Remember the Joker's Funhouse toy?

One toy you played a lot with when a preschooler was the Joker's Funhouse. It went along with the Batcave set we had (Though you liked the Batcave much more!).

The Joker's Funhouse was the Joker's hideout and had lots of places where Batman and Robin could get trapped. If you pressed a button, the Joker laughed and taunted Batman, though I can't quite remember what he all said.

One of the Batman books we had involved Batman and Robin capturing the Joker in a carnival funhouse, so I think the playset was made all that much more fun because it related to a story you knew!

Your visits to the state of Iowa

You've been to Iowa couple of times in September and October 2008.

The first time, you entered on I-35 from the Minnesota border then took I-80 to the Nebraska border! All of us stayed overnight in Des Moines. I recall that we stopped at a travel center or wayside there, and you played on rocks they had in a landscaped area.

The second time, we did the same route in reverse but didn't stay overnight. I think we ate at the Cracker Barrel in Des Moines, but I could be wrong on that. Uusally when traveling through IOwa, that's my restaurant stop!

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from our quick trips through the state - sorry!

My email sent to you Aug. 3, 2013

Here’s my email to you sent Aug. 3, just in case you do not receive it.

Hi Kieran,

How are you doing? I’m doing fine, though I miss you like crazy! Hope you’re enjoying your summer. Unfortunately, your email is not working again, because I haven’t received any emails/letters from you during the last three weeks. Hopefully your mother can fix that for you.

The last month of summer, August, has arrived! That means school starts very soon. Are you excited about entering first grade? What day does school begin? Do you know who your teacher will be this autumn? Have you gotten your school supplies yet? Picking out school supplies and getting new school clothes always was one of my favorite parts of going back to school in autumn. Well, that and seeing my friends again after missing them all summer long! Living in town (I lived in the country) and going to summer school, I bet you got to see lots of your friends over the summer.

Next weekend is the Irish Festival in St. Paul. Hopefully you’ll get to go, especially since your name is Celtic! We went to an Irish festival together four years ago in California. You had a great time on the playground as we listened to an Irish band perform. Then ee walked through a medieval Irish village that had knights, and later you got to pet sheep and a border collie. We had fish and chips for lunch! Here’s a whole bunch of pictures from our adventure.

The following weekend, the Renaissance Festival begins. The festival is a huge medieval village, sort of like the castle area at Legoland. The festival lasts for several weeks, and has a couple of special weekends dedicated to the Scottish Highlands and to Ireland. We’ve gone to lots of Renaissance festivals in California; at one of them you got a Robin Hood cap and foam swords that you later pretended were “light sabers.” Here are some photos from one Renaissance festival we went to in 2009. Hopefully you’ll get to go to the festival in the Twin Cities during one of the weekends ahead.

Have you read any good books lately? I have. It was called “The Night Before First Grade” by Natasha Wing. It’s all about this girl named Penny on the night before she goes to first grade for the very first time. Why kind of things do you think she does that night to get ready for school the next morning? You will have to read the book and find out! I bet you can find it at your city or school library.

I am very excited. Do you know why? I am excited because I get to see you again next week! We get together again the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 9. Of course, I will bring a tote of fun things for us to do. Is there anything specific that you’d like me to bring? Just let me know in the email that you write during the next week (and be sure to send it from a new address as the old email apparently isn’t working). I miss and love you very much – see you on the 9^th!

Love,

Dad