We helped some friends move…

I attended the Alphabet Bash and ate something on every plate of this table…

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

James the tiny dog came to work…

Grant started his new soccer schedule…

We visited Grandma Kay’s new place and tested out her pool…

Enjoyed the backyard fire pit…

My car’s thermostat is apparently on the fritz…

And the kids continue to sprout…

Backyard nature…

The kids got to visit the Minnesota Vikings Training Camp in Mankato…

MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

This is Adrian Peterson…

I installed a moon landing on the ceiling of my office…

We visited the Green Giant…

We went to a wedding…

We had four babies in one pew…

Don’t you love how every single church nursery has these same cardboard bricks?

Bubbles…

Reception…

Cousins…

And a stop at Cabela’s on the way home…

This dad brought his laptop, logged onto the community center wi-fi and was surfing GunsAmerica.com to purchase a new weapon — while at the pool…

More after the jump!

An entire year of e-mail — 8 gigs worth — was archived on one DVD…

I took Grant to Kindermusik…

And I spotted this giant painting of a rooster for sale – $799…

I distributed about 200 flyers for National Night Out and re-discovered this gem in someone’s front yard…

Grandma Kay sent Grayson a new cot for camping…

Annabelle was still cute…

LEGO Gothic…

Historic Downtown Chaska put up its Historic Downtown Chaska banners…

River City Days 2011…

My church again had a booth with Pork Chops on a Stick and Roasted Corn (full set here)…

My parents from Florida came into town. Grant stayed with them in the camper. We all went swimming. A sword fight occurred …

And Grant found a frog…

February 10, 2011:

July 18, 2011:

And by mid-November, we’ll have snow again! Bring on the jackets (and the pockets within said jackets)!

Just got this pitch from PrankPack.com with an Eden Prairie cutline:

Today, 30 Watt announced the second in the 2010 line of genuine prank gift boxes with the launch of the Pet Petter, a fully-automated animal petting device. The Pet Petter helps busy/germophobic/apathetic pet owners enjoy their animals while giving them the love and affection they deserve from a safe distance.

Prank PacksTM are gift boxes that appear to house the most ridiculous products imaginable. “The real gift is placed inside, then wrapped.” said Nordby. “Then you just sit back, watch them open it and revel in their half-hearted enthusiasm!” “And with six box sides of unique humor, it gets passed around and really helps move Aunt Linda’s party along.”

“We understand that most gift boxes are boring and that gift bags are just plain evil. Therefore, we decided to continue to make Prank Packs in 2010,” said Arik Nordby, Creative Director at 30 Watt. Previously, Mr. Nordby teamed with The Onion to design the first ever fake gift boxes.

Whoa – these are so great…

I’m just so impressed. And of course, wishing these gifts were real and available for preschool fundraising. Another example of super clever and smart thinking coming from the Twin Cities.

Get them here.

We walked in, grabbed an ice cream cone.

Witnessed the crazy throng of human coalescence.

Then my beautiful pregnant wife needed to sit and rest. And that was good, because my broken foot was hurting.

Then I got a beer, and we checked out the Vikings gear.

Then we saw the Spam House.

Then we left and went out to eat in Eden Prairie. The End.

It was the annual Touch a Truck event in Chaska tonight, and my boys LOVED it.

They had crafts, hot dogs, soda, lemonade, popcorn, inflatables, a kids’ band — all free. What a great community event!

Trucks? Just a few (firetrucks, police cars, heavy construction equipment, a zamboni, bus, mobile command station and more). So cool.

Thanks to everyone who made it possible. We had a great time. And yes, I touched a truck myself. It was better than I ever thought it could be. More photos here.

By my count, we had about 40-50 total people, including kids, attend the West Downtown Chaska National Night Out 2010 event this year. Pretty darn good for the first event in recent memory. I printed off 150 flyers and walked up and down every block handing them out. Then I ran out and printed 75 more! I still missed Spruce Street (ran out of time and broke my foot — long story), but almost every occupied house in the neighborhood got a flyer.

It was really fun to personally walk up to every house in my neighborhood to hand out the flyers, and I learned a lot on those walks. This neighborhood has terrific character, picturesque homes and gardens and very friendly people. The first night I was handing out flyers I took my four year-old with me door-to-door, and everyone talked to him and was super nice.

There is also a significant amount of architectural styles, historical preservation in progress and some fascinating yard art.

Lastly, there are a lot more empty homes than I thought. Although only two homes in the area have foreclosure papers on the front door, I was surprised how many vacant homes there were. (FOR THE RECORD: unlike Sarpinos, SW Metro Transit, Chaska Fire Department and Qwest Dex, I did not leave these flyers as litter on empty homes). Some of the houses are move-in ready, while others will need some TLC. I hope our civic leaders and communities are thinking about how to get families into these homes ASAP.

The event itself was just great. I was a little nervous nobody would show up — either because they didn’t know, didn’t care or wouldn’t go to an outdoor event at 89 degrees on a Tuesday evening. Since I only had a week to put this together and didn’t have a budget or any help, I wasn’t able to pull together a big barbecue or anything.

I bought 100 popsicles, and my mom bought a bunch of bottled water and bubbles (BUBBLES!). We went out 30 minutes early, moved the picnic table in Hickory Park into the shade, set out chairs and did the Field of Dreams prayer.

AND THEN….people showed up! Lots of people. The kids instantly hit it off, and my son didn’t stop running and playing for almost two hours straight.

The Chaska Police Department came with McGruff (and we talked him onto the seesaw).

Then the Chaska Police Department came with folks from Target in tow to distribute sidewalk chalk and market to us.

Then the Chaska Fire Department came and let our kids climb all over their truck.

Mollee at the Chaska Herald came out and took some photos. She wrote a quick recap and put together a slideshow featuring shots from many NNO neighborhood events, including ours.

Residents across the city gathered at more than 35 parties Tuesday to celebrate National Night Out. The event is designed to increase awareness for crime prevention in community neighborhoods.

Greg Swan organized his first National Night Out party at Hickory Park for residents in downtown Chaska. He was pleased with the turnout.

“It’s been great,” said Swan.

Kids created sidewalk chalk art and played on the playground equipment while the adults chatted nearby. The group even convinced McGruff the Crime Dog to take a turn on the see-saw during his visit.

It’s been great? Nice one, Greg. Now that’s a quote to remember. :)

Mollee’s slideshow:

Overally, I’m extremely pleased with the event. The fact we know a good chunk of our neighbors now is even more exciting. Plus we have a Neighborhood Contact List started now. Just rockin’ awesome.

More photos here.