Lagmans

SDCC Day 2 and 3

2007-07-31T11:52:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting but the hotel upload speed sucked. Click for larger images

2007 SDCC Day 1

2007-07-26T08:50:00.000-05:00

Here are some shots from the San Diego Comic Con. So far it's been pretty overwhelming but the people have been awesome.

Zilinski Farm 2007

2007-07-20T14:21:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the Zilinski's and Falkenholm's for another invite and yearly visit to their farm near Castle Rock Lake in Wisconsin. Another excellent adventure and even bigger fireworks show put on by Phil and Carlo productions!! Enjoy the pics...

Caden saying Cheese DADA!

Dinner Time

Yummy!!

No Cable TV but we have WiFi

Phil taking the kids on a Dune Buggy ride

Phil taking on the sand pile

Carlo trying to get some air

Phil going for it

VW Power!!!

Deer Farm

100's of deer just walking around freely and kids
wore this one out

"Hello there!!"

Tasty deer crackers

Caden had no fear

Captain Caden driving the boat. It was cold...

Kickin back

Wotcha lookin at?!?

Too cold to swim...BRrrrrr

But one brave soul braved the waters...

A little cold couldn't stop a few hours on the lake

Is that the famous Castle Rock Lake creature in the background?

Unfortunately, we only got pics of our ground display

Caden on the riding mower

Getting ready for Christines science display

Caden can't contain his excitement

Mentos and Diet Coke=Cool

Cool!!

No let's see if Diet Pepsi works better

Getting for a trip around the field

All good things must end

2007-06-23T10:01:00.000-05:00

It was the perfect marriage. My favorite team (Arsenal) and my favorite player (Thierry Henry). For years they were the epitome of a class champion but unfortunately it has all ended. When the Italian Series A had given up on the Frenchman, Arsenal showed him the way. Au revoir,...

Barcelona claim they have agreed a £16million fee for Thierry Henry.

Computer mouse and pointer technology revealed!!!

2007-06-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

How does the small arrow in the screen of the computer work when you move the mouse? Haven't you ever wondered? Now, through the miracle of high technology, we can see how it is done.

With the aid of a screen magnifying lens the mechanism becomes apparent. Be sure to move your mouse. Then move your mouse in rapid circle, then stop quickly. Note too the sound effects which we normally can't hear. Click the link

How the pointer and mouse work

F1 tuners get musical....and more

2007-06-22T22:43:00.000-05:00

So I haven't bothered to update here because work has made my life no fun but some videos inspired me to post again.

"God Save the Queen"

"We Are the Champions"

So one thing I'm psyched for is my trip with Marlon to San Diego Comic Con. I'm ready to get my Geek On!! I know that everyone will be hyped for Transformers so here's a video to get you into the spirit.

More photos

2006-12-24T01:18:00.000-06:00

Would you believe that we raised about 100,000 pesos in this fund raising event!

More photos from the fashion show

2006-12-24T01:02:00.000-06:00

Success! I finally know how to post pictures. No, we have more models in the fashion show. I do not think you will be interested in seeing other peoples pictures, especially in two piece Bikinis. Just kidding.

Fashion Show in Iloilo

2006-12-23T21:07:00.000-06:00

Have been trying to post some pictures since last week unsuccessfully. This time I reformatted the pictures to JPEG. Hope it will work.

New Roof

2006-12-23T02:52:00.000-06:00

The new "red brick" colored tile roof on the Lagman's home.

Happy 60th Birthday Lola Lina !!!!

2006-11-24T19:00:00.000-06:00

Celeste worked diligently for hours painting the signs for Lola Lina's birthday. She wanted to do something very special for her birthday greeting.

Halloween 06

2006-11-02T15:24:00.000-06:00

Celeste was really worried she'd be sick again this year and miss out on trick or treating. Instead she got sick the day after Halloween. Fun!! Caden had his first real trick or treating experience or as he says, "Tic o teets" . The day started with a parade at Celeste's school and trick or treating in the neighborhood afterwards. Every year politically correct folks take a little fun out of Halloween but to me this is 2nd to Christmas in terms of the excitement factor.

Goebbert's Farm - Pumpkin Patch

2006-11-02T15:04:00.000-06:00

Sorry I'm so late on getting these pics uploaded. On Sunday, October 22nd, we took the Dejuras' on our yearly trip to Goebbert's farm to pick a pumpkin. Unfortunately, because we've had so much rain, they weren't taking people out to the fields to pick pumpkins. A worker said that the mud is a couple feet deep in some places. As you can see from the pics, contrary to what Christine said, IT WAS COLD. The highlights were the roasted buttered corn, the corn stalk maze, magic show, feeding the animals, picking pumpkins, apple pie, and apple donuts. Enjoy

Aidan Dejuras' Birthday 2006

2006-10-09T01:33:00.000-05:00

Here's some pics from Aidan's 1st Birthday party at My Corner Playroom as well as some shots from the after party at Katie and Jaime's. Happy Birthday Aidan!!!!

The first 4 pictures are Celeste and Caden in the basement.

Basement sneak peak

2006-10-04T09:46:00.000-05:00

So the basement is 95% done. I just wanted to show a little taste before I post the whole Before and After shots. Enjoy.

September 2006 Great America

2006-10-01T08:55:00.000-05:00

It turned out to be a nice day for Accenture day at Great America. Accenture rented out the whole park so not only did we save on the $50 admission fee but there were NO LINES... I was able to get a few extra tickets so we were lucky enough to invite the Dejuras', Rico, Marco, Marlon and Scott. Obviously, the parents in this crew spent most of the day in the kids section of the park while the younger guys hit the roller coasters MULTIPLE times. Here's the photos...

Dadda's Schooooz!!!

2006-09-27T10:31:00.000-05:00

So I got these new Salomon Techamphibian shoes that are so darn convenient. Anyway, Caden is in a new phase where he let's you know who things belong to. For example, if he hears a song from High School Musical he'll say 'leste, 'leste (i.e. Celeste). If he sees a famous celebrity that Christine likes he'll say momma, momma. For me, it's either football or toys. So I guess today he found my shoes and kept walking around saying dadda, dadda, dadda's schoooooz!!!

Where'd ya go???

2006-09-26T21:00:00.000-05:00

So no posts in like....FOREVER
Well the whole basement transformation that included moving our entire computer set up has put a damper on posting on the blog. It's just not condusive to blogging sitting at the kitchen counter. Anyway, here's a video that is both funny and freakishly bizarre. Either way you can't stop watching this little guy get down with his bad self.

The basement should be done next week so pictures and updates are forthcoming. Enjoy!!

Road Trippin' Part 4 - A Canadian Wedding

2006-08-04T08:28:00.000-05:00

Here are the pics from Elgin and Gen's wedding in Mississauga, Ontario. As with any Tagle family function there was lots of fun, dancing and FOOD. As Tito Ernie said the Tagle's eat one meal a day but that meal lasts ALL Day.

Hangin out at the Hotel

Dunny party

Look!!! Tagle's eating at a buffet

The "adults" table

Cheese!!

Christine and Hendrix

Cousins

Celeste and Caden in their new pajamas given by the generous Tagles

Party before the big day

The Pilot got plenty of use

The flower girls with Gail

The beautiful bride

Celeste is an old pro by now

Cathleen stole the show with her reading

Man and wife...

Caden preachin' the gospel

Cuties!!!

What a nice looking family

The kids with Sha Sha

Wedding party

The cool crowd

Frederick in da house

The partying is just about to begin

Cel-ebration time.....come on!!

Caden saying "Who is this crazy guy"

Celeste took time out of her busy dancing to take a pic with mom

Shake it

Ocho Ocho!!!

The new bff's

The Tagle party

Road Trippin' Part 3 - New York(Long Island, Hyde Park, Binghamton, DeRuyter) and Niagara Falls, Ontario

2006-07-31T21:17:00.000-05:00

We're back!!!!
After lots of driving and great times with friends and family, we're back in the Heights. There have been several requests for pictures so here's another set of our New York leg of the Lagman Tour 2006. Enjoy!!

Part 4 will be the final part of the Road Trippin' series (A Canadian Wedding) and will be up tomorrow night.

Hewlett, NY (Long Island)

Caden and Hannah getting acquainted

Christine, Jen and Melissa...It's been too long

Haley trying to make a break for it with the Garrett's popcorn we brought from Chicago

"How YOU doin'?"

Big Hug!!!

Melissa with Hannah and Sammy

From Binghamton to the backyard

Celeste playing with her new friends

"I love bagels!! How'd ya know?"

Did someone say play date?

Hyde Park, NY

It was so nice to finally relax for a couple days

Celeste missed the Schad kids too much. It was insanity. Just like old times

The young ones

Hangin out in Bianca's room

Wow! Dad actually got into a picture

The whole gang

Ninang even made cookies from scratch. Celeste was so upset when we left the next day. She tried not to cry but nothing worked. :-(

Binghamton University (Formerly SUNY-Binghamton)

At the old student union at Christine's alma mater. There's a new fancy union but she had to take a picture in her old hang out.

Christine's dorm

If these walls could talk....

The dining hall

DeRuyter, NY

The beach in front of Arlene's

Shot from the beach

Celeste made such great friends on this trip. Hey Cassidy!!

Old friends and new friends.

The lake is just across the street. How sweet is that?

Dad's in another shot? Craziness!!

Niagara Falls, Ontario

We arrived at night and headed for the falls. We rented several books and videos from the library to prepare Celeste for the falls. Her words were "They aren't as loud as I expected."

Shot of Clifton Hill amusements. One of the top 10 cheesiest places on earth. Just how we like it.

The American falls at night

On Clifton Hill

More t-shirt shops per block than any other city...Just a guess.

A shot of the Canadian Horshoe Falls from the hill

The Maid of the Mist before entering the falls

Celeste's picture taking skills have really improved.

Cutie pie

We made a special trip to the falls the morning we left just to get these shots.

Next time we're definitely doing the Maid of the Mist

Road Trippin' Part 2 - Close Encounter with W

2006-07-24T22:35:00.000-05:00

We got some good news and bad news about our visit to the White House on Sunday. The good news is that we would be able to greet POTUS (President Of The United States) when he landed on the south lawn of the White House. The bad news is that he was going straight to a meeting to prepare for a sudden meeting with the Saudis which meant that he probably would not greet us. Other bad news that turned out to be good was that all tours for that day were canceled. However, since they were canceled, Susan gave us a private insider tour of the White House which meant that we got to see and hear things you wouldn't see on a formal tour. Highlights of the tour were the oval office, the vp's office, the cabinet room and various other rooms not seen by the public. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed inside. All in all, a very exciting day that none of us will forget. Here's the pics...

Just cleared security and with badges in hand, we were official "White House guests"

Auntie Susan gave the kids official White House M&M's and Crayons. Check it out!!

The Eisenhower executive offices. This is where most of the president's staff is located not the West Wing.

Employee entrance to the West Wing

The rose garden with the Oval Office entrance in the background

Famous walkway between the West Wing and main building

Another shot of Oval office as seen from the rose garden

and another

The Truman balcony that faces the South Lawn where Marine One lands

The south lawn of the White House with the Washington Monument in the background

The CAT (Counter Assault Team) preparing for POTUS' arrival. These guys fan out in covert locations (bushes, trees, etc) around the landing area and the closer to arrival the more "invisible" they become. I couldn't spot a single one during the landing. I tried to get a shot of the snipers on the roof but we never got far enough away.

Waiting patiently

Still waiting

The president's dog, Barney, doing his business

Landing team preparing the area

I'm a White House intern.

See!!! I told ya so...

Press core preparing for arrival

I'm an intern too!!

Susan being one with her blackberry. We got minute by minute updates on POTUS' arrival

Secret Service being not so secret

Susan's credentials

When the president arrives by helicopter they send 3 helicopters for security reasons and no one knows which one he's actually in.

Tuka Tuka!!! aka..HELICOPTERS!!!

Helicopter 1 and 2 fanned off and POTUS was in 3

Coming in for a landing

A marine is first deployed to release the secret service men

Secret service

POTUS's personal secret serviceman and POTUS

Waving to the press

Waving to us!!!

On to a meeting

After the landing

copter immediately leaves

Thanks Susan!! That was awesome

Now on to the famous press briefing room

Celeste Lagman...future presidential press secretary

At the podium

At the back of the press briefing room

Someone was happy to be there

All the seats in the room are assigned to the major news agencies. This is the Chicago Tribune's seat.

Busy day for the press on a Sunday because of the Saudi's

Main entrance to the West Wing (as seen on TV)

Front of the White House

Press core section at the front of the White House

The Washington Monument

the World War II memorial

Each pillar was dedicated to the states and countries that fought for U.S. in WWII. My grandfather fought for the U.S. in the Philippines

Making a wish

Walking along the reflecting pool towards the Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial

Road Trippin' Part 1 - Mt. Vernon, Alexandria, Silver Spring, Woodbridge

2006-07-23T09:11:00.000-05:00

We made it to D.C. safely after driving through the night from Chicago. We began with an awe inspiring visit to Mt. Vernon, the estate of our first president. Then, we planned to see some monuments in D.C. but the kids fell asleep in the car while looking for parking so we headed to the hotel in Old Town Alexandria. After getting a well needed rest and shower we ventured into beautiful downtown Alexandria for some dinner and dessert. The next day we headed out early and drove up to Silver Spring, MD to visit Jenny and Guy. First we headed to the Ponder Hill Farm to see Jenny's horse, Haley. We've heard so much about her and she is a true beauty. Then, is was back to their place for lunch. For dinner, we headed down to Woodbridge, VA to Susan and Troy's house for dinner. Big day tomorrow. I can't believe we actually get to meet W.

The day we left we had planned to go to the Cubs game but it was crappy weather. Caden still wanted to suppor for his team. The good news is we still wen to the Wrigley and picked up Celeste's American Girl outfit they were giving away.

A brief history of Mt. Vernon

The entrance to Mt. Vernon

On George's porch that overlooks the Potomac River

The back of the mansion

Side view of the back

The front of the mansion

This is the neccessary. What is a necessary? Read below and you'll find out what makes it "necessary"

Ewwwwww!!

3 at once? Comfort and convenience. The magazine rack is to the right out of the picture.

The mansion and the separate kitchen to the right.

Info on the separate house just for washing. Cleanliness is next to godliness

Inside the washhouse

The scenic path on the way to Washington's tomb

Celeste taking a break

Looking inside the tomb. George is on the right and Martha is on the left

In front of the tomb. Most of the Washington's are buried in here but just Martha and George are in the front.

A wreath ceremony is performed twice a day

Side view

Most of the slaves that worked at Mt. Vernon were buried on the property and the majority of them were unmarked. There is a whole area dedicated to them

Heading down to the wharf

The wharf on the Potomac

Shot of the mansion from the bowling green

Posing in front of a bust of GW

The Lagman's don't go anywhere without doing some shopping. Christine found a cheap shoe and clothing store but me in the kids beat the heat by watching movies in the car.

As you can see Caden is thrilled

On the plaza in Old Town Alexandria

The boys at the Weigold's in Silver Spring, MD

Celeste was on the floor looking for the cats

The stable at Ponder Hill farm

Beautiful Girl Haley

Celeste giving Haley animal crackers

Haley loves apples!!!

Christine's turn

Jen's baby

Country girls

The stable

Feed me!!!

Christine and Guy the grillmaster

Hard at work in the kitchen

Let me in

Testing out the timer on the camera

At Susan and Troy's. Unfortunately, Celeste's arm blocks the precious Mimi

In the kitchen. Too bad the camera battery died before we could get more pics.

More pics from Susan's camera

Thanks for dinner guys!!

On the back porch

Caden was afraid of the dogs

2nd Annual Lagman Movie Night (2006)

2006-07-17T10:29:00.000-05:00

We had a great turnout for this year's Movie Night. Thanks to all that attended.
The party started off with drinks and light appetizers. Then Christine announced the start of the festivities. Everyone topped off there drinks and stopped by the popcorn cart and candy tray before claiming a space on the various rugs, couches and chairs in the yard. Congrats to the raffle winners that won a popcorn maker, movie tickets or a DVD of the featured movie. Finally, this year's movie was revealed...
"Reality Bites"
I hope everyone had a great time. Congrats to Christine for another great movie night!! A big thanks to Cathleen and Brian for flying in and braving the 100 degree heat to get everything ready.

No time for snappy comments. Christine wanted the pics up ASAP.

Take me out to the T-ball game

2006-07-16T12:31:00.000-05:00

Here's Celeste before one of her t-ball games. She's on the A's. This day her team played the Red Sox and it was 3 innings of fast paced ball. NOT!!!
She did and awesome job and even got a double.

Wiscons-insane!!!

2006-07-12T00:16:00.000-05:00

This is the second year in a row we've had the pleasure of being invited to the Jen's dad's farm in Germantown, Wisconsin. This year was just as fun but with bigger and better fireworks. The kids had THE BEST time with their buddies Luke and Charlie. Caden is a big gearhead and went crazy for the abundance of motorized vehicles at the Zilinski Farm. It was a like a 45 acre playground for kids and parents alike. We grilled out and made all meals except one. Rented a pontoon boat and swam in Castle Rock lake. Had 2 great nights of big mama jamma fireworks shows. Roasted marshmallows. Cleared a fallen tree. Caught a snake. Rode tractors, lawn mowers, a dune buggy, and a golf cart. Swam at the Zilinski beach. Watched the World Cup final. Shopped the Mausten K-mart and Dollar General. It was a great time with awesome friends.

Enjoy the pics. Please post comments via the link at the bottom of the post.

We made it and with a fireworks arsenal bigger than last year. I got some mortars and 400 foot red dahlia's to up the ante.

Tuka tuka!!! That means I've never seen so many trucks in Caden speak.

How do you start this damn thing already!!!

Peek a boo!! Charlie checking out the tent.

Not sure how many times this dune buggy has been rebuilt but this time was one of the best. I acutally popped a huge wheelie on the street. Scared the caca laca out of me.

Back of the Zilinski farm house

Barn number 1. You can see the cool antique truck and old tractor. It also kept the 2 riding mowers.

This is so Little House on the Prairie

More old remnants

Old tractor accessories

Wide shot of the back of the house

You can see the corn growing in the field behind the row of trees

Caden checking out the old wagon

Barn number 2. Kept the moped, motorcycle, dune buggy, snow mobiles and kubota tractor.

Weather vane on top of barn

Shot inside of the barn. The kids had fun climbing on all the cool machines.

Utility shed

Side entrance

Front of the house

Wide shot of the side of the house

Tweet tweet

Jen relaxing at her private beach.

This ain't Cancun but at least we won't get Montezuma's revenge

While looking for rocks this garter snake startled Phil. I did my best Steve Irwin impression and wrangle this guy into a paper bag with a broom and gloves on my hands. Celeste named him Fred.

Luke made us let Fred go but he really didn't like me getting up close to take this pic as you can see when he tries to bite me.

The hot mamas getting ready for another great meal.

The chillin after the grillin. XM satellite radio was a hit. I think they got another customer in the Falkenholms.

SMORES!!!

Celeste roasting like a pro.

Me and my first mate getting ready to board the pontoon boat that we rented

Discovering the hidden therapeutic wonders of algae

Celeste finally was ok floating alone with her vest on

Swimming and being out on the lake make you hungry

Safety first

We used to have a smaller version of this Ariens riding mower back when we were kids

The beautiful Zilinski property

Why are barns red?

Parting shot before leaving. Thanks Falkenhoms and Ernie and Arlene.

Saugatuck-ered out

2006-06-28T23:00:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed a nice long weekend in Saugatuck, Michigan (www.saugatuck.com) last week with the Dejuras family. We rented a cozy home a couple blocks from downtown that was just perfect for chilling out and exploring Michigan's art coast. Thanks to the Dejuras' for a perfect trip. We can't wait until next year when Aidan will be tearing up the beach with the Lagman kids. The highlights of our trip were BACON, the Footloose cottage, downtown Saugatuck, the Duck boat, Oval beach, Grilling every night, fun with the kids, Men's pictionary champs, Kilwins, More BACON, Landsharks, breakfast by the boys, creaky stairs, hanging with great friends (yeah you too Katie) and 2 patios!!
Click on the picture for a larger image

First stop, the Dejuras' home to pick them up

Excited to go on vacation, or what?

Celeste and Aidan

Buckle up for safety!!

Katie locking up before we head out

Need to fill up then then head to Dunkin Donuts

Is that a disposable camera? Hello?!! This is 2006

Caden napping for once, in the car

A very happy little girl

The driver

Christine's self-pic

View of and overcast Saugatuck

Old Great Lakes cruise ship museum

We're here!!!

Christine's shot of the Dejuras' from out of the sunroof

Outside the Footloose cottage

731 Butler Street, Saugatuck, Michigan

Living room

the Kitchen

Carlo and Celeste figuring out where the hot spots are

Katie and Caden running like the wind

Walking through one of the many sculpture parks

Art? We called it "An Alien That Pooped"

Walking along the docks

Celeste after making a wish in the fountain

Saugatuck chain ferry. The hand cranked ferry that takes you to the other sice of the river and to the beach.

Walking home from downtown Saugatuck

Caden relaxing on the recliner

The kids before bedtime

The guys looking for utensils for making breakfast...nice hair dude

Getting ready to make Carlo's famous melt-in-your mouth pancakes

Chillin'

Caden showing Katie how he feeds himself...and the floor

Bacon...It's what's for breakfast....every day in fact

The guys' little helper

Wait a minute...is that...could that be...Carlo doing dishes!!

Celeste and Aidan on the back porch

Jaime exhausted from making breakfast

Little (Big) Boy

Celeste and Aidan

Carlo and the kids at Oval beach

Making a sand castle. Later Godzilla(Caden) destroyed it

The Lagmans

The Dejuras'

Caden being one with the waves

Oval beach...It's not the ocean but it sand tastes the same. Right Caden?

Cute hat

The guys

"All this water...I think I just pee pee'd my diaper"

Celeste sneaking in the shot

Smile!

Smile bigger

60 degree water couldn't stop Celeste from showing us what she learned in her swimming lessons

Jaime and his sand masterpiece

Christine pigging out, as usual

Where did everybody go?

Let me just take a break and sit right here

The little safari man

The Lagmans sitting in Celeste's beach whirpool

The duck boat tour

On land

On water

Does this thing really float?

Duck tour

Where's Aidan?

Enjoying the big driveway

Bingo!!!

Caden pushing 2 stroller

Caden cleaning the tires with his hands

Catch me mommy!!!

101 Two Liters of Diet Coke + 523 Mentos = The Bellagio Fountain

2006-06-10T14:21:00.000-05:00

I'm sure most of you have seen the videos of the explosive resulst that happen when you mix Mentos and Diet Coke. Well, this is the best production so far.

The Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments:
What happens when you combine 200 liters of Diet Coke and over 500 Mentos mints? It's amazing and completely insane.
The first part of this video demonstrates a simple geyser, and the second part shows just how extreme it can get. Over one hundred jets of soda fly into the air in less than three minutes.

It's a hysterical and spectacular mint-powered version of the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas.

Check the video out at www.eepybird.com. It got too annoying to stream it here

Road trip to New Jersey and NYC

2006-06-07T10:36:00.000-05:00

We drove through the night on Thursday and got to Cath and Brian's early on Friday. Caden and Celeste were awesome and slept most of the way. Celeste was SO excited to see auntie Cathleen. Overall, the trip was great. Except for getting a parking ticket and boot on the new car, everything went smoothly. Apparently in Hoboken, they can boot your car for any parking violation. They even force you remove the boot yourself and return it to the city parking dept. Highlights were walking around Hoboken, Bagels and breakfast rolls, going shopping in NYC, Magnolia cupcakes, chilling at the condo, going to the museum (Celeste), and Jenine's wedding. Thanks to Cath and Brian for being great hosts. Your place is sweet!!

Here's the pics (click to supersize)

Here's Caden doing his best J.Crew pose at Cathleen and Brian's

Here we are trying to dodge the rain (and aggressive female earth conservationists) at the Frozen Monkey in Hoboken. Sandwiches and salads followed by cold concoctions of Tasti D-lite were the fare along with the Magnolia recipe cupcakes (we eventually got the originals though).

Don't be fooled. At this point, Caden still hadn't warmed up to auntie Cathleen. It took bribing him with cotton candy and cheetos before the little man was himself.

No..Seriously. Caden is still afraid of auntie Cathleen. In this pic, He's not trying to go to auntie Cathleen. Just kidding.

We had breakfast at Chelsea Pier to kickoff our day in NYC and whadaya know, Christine's favorite network films there.

After the girls shopped for dresses for Cath's big day, we needed to get to the East Village to see Toy Tokyo. It was raining but who needs a cab when you can take the New York City subway.

We made it to Toy Tokyo and WESC but I still needed to see the king of all vinyl toy brands, Kid Robot. We trekked through the rain and eventually made it.

Caden was the driest of all of us but as you can see, that didn't mean much. Luckily, auntie Cathleen got him the coolest Clash rock t-shirt from a street vendor.

Thanks Auntie Cathleen for this awesome Clash rock t-shirt. xoxoxoxo, Caden.
One of the many unique items you can buy on the street in NYC. Love it!!! Hopefully, he likes the Clash's music too when he gets a little bigger.

Can you tell I liked him in this outfit?

Trying to complete the rockstar look

Yep another one

Do we match? Here we are before leaving for Jenine and Ryan's wedding in Parissippany, NJ. It finally stopped raining. Good thing too. Their ceremony was outdoors.

Jenine coming down the stairs to her waiting groom. They wrote their own vows which was a very nice touch. I'm usually not a big fan but it felt very apropos.

Here's a shot of the how the outdoor ceremony was set up.

I forgot how they do weddings in New York. There was enough food for a wedding twice as big. Jenine is Filipino but I'd say 10% of the people in attendance were flip. At least they represented with the lechon.

I took this picture just as Jenine was finished taking pictures with her dad after the ceremony. It was the first time she saw that we were there and was grateful that we made the trip.

After all the food and festivities, we were able to catch a picture with the new bride and groom (thanks Christine) before heading home Mazel Tov!!! Oops. I'm just so used to weddings in NY being of the Jewish variety.

Made it to Cath and Brian's

2006-06-02T13:26:00.000-05:00

Class of 2018

2006-05-31T23:03:00.000-05:00

Can you spot the Lagman in this class picture?

Bike the Drive

2006-05-28T12:28:00.000-05:00

Once a year, Chicago's most scenic street (Lake Shore Drive) is shutdown to all traffic except for bikes. Here's some shots of Christine and Katie on this beautiful ride.
Click on the picture for a larger image.

A Rose is a rose, is a rose......

2006-05-28T07:16:00.000-05:00

Green and pinkish "Rose Apple" or Macopa in Tagalog
The tree near our room full of fruits.
The red variety is the sweetest and juicier.

Pushing Tin

2006-05-23T11:11:00.000-05:00

I never discount the job of an air traffic controller but check out this video and be thankful the next time you're on a plane during thunderstorm and complaining that you're delayed. This is a radar recording taken of the Memphis area on a particularly busy day in Summer 2003. Memphis is the HQ of the international courier company FedEx and each of the planes displayed on the screen here are Fed Ex flights inbound to Memphis. The red/yellow/green colouring is an approcahing thunderstorm.

Congrats to the newlyweds

2006-05-22T11:01:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Brian Lagman. Hope to see you guys soon!!!

Here's the beautiful new couple.

Finally...Pics of Christine's new "baby"

2006-05-22T10:51:00.000-05:00

It finally stopped raining in Chicago for 2 consecutive days. Thanks to Celeste for helping daddy wash the car yesterday. Hopefully, it stays clean.
Here's Christine's 2006 Honda Pilot EXL with Navigation and DVD. Prepped and ready for our first of many road trips. If you want to see a larger version of any of the pictures in the slide show just click on the picture.

Celeste's recital video - Beatle Mania

2006-05-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

If you can't see the video click here to install Flash player.

Conspiracy Theory - If you like 24, you'll like this....Hmmm?!?!?

2006-05-19T13:42:00.000-05:00

Some people have been asking for a link to the video so they can send it to friends so here it is http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5137581991288263801&q=loose+change

"You're Fired!!"

2006-05-19T10:25:00.000-05:00

This anchor's Freudian slip speaks volumes. Gay, blind...what's the difference. Oops!!!

More pictures from the Lagmans farm

2006-05-18T19:45:00.000-05:00

Some of the pineapple now ready for picking.

Mangoes that fell off the tree after the storm. Sour, sour, sour..
My chicken are also ready for "frying".

The Evolution of Dance...

2006-05-18T15:26:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the link Rico!!!

For all the 24 Fans...

2006-05-16T15:14:00.000-05:00

A funny song about Jack Bauer's plan. It's set to the music of Jack and Diane.

Click here

Embracing my inner nerd...

2006-05-14T18:57:00.000-05:00

I love the smell of vinyl.
Celeste bought Christine a nice corsage to wear all day for Mother's Day. Then, we splurged and treated Christine like the queen she is. We took her to Ikea for their .99 cent breakfast special. Heck, we even splurged and got the extra side of french toast. I think the total for our bill with coffee and chocolate milk was $5.48. After we had breakfast, we shopped around and I took one step further into my addiction for vinyl toy collecting. All the designer toys that littered my dresser have now found a home in a new Detolf glass shelving unit. Hi, my name is Carlo and I'm a Vinyl-holic.

The Neverending Birthday...

2006-05-13T21:36:00.000-05:00

Well today was Celeste's "family" birthday party. I think her 6th birthday celebration is finally over after 2 weeks. Here are some pictures and a video.

2006-05-13T21:01:00.000-05:00

(2ND UPDATE) Tropical storm Chanchu continued to lash the Philippines Saturday, leaving at least 26 people dead as heavy rains triggered landslides and left parts of the country under water.
Floodwaters submerged two provinces in the central Visayas region and several villages in Leyte's Sogod town were cut off after landslides and floods damaged a bridge and vital highway.
Chanchu was tracking west-northwest towards the South China Sea and was expected to have moved on by Sunday morning, the state weather bureau said.
In the worst accident during the storm, the motorboat Mae Ann 5 capsized just off the central city of Masbate Friday.
Officials are unsure how many passengers were aboard, but coast guard spokesman Lieutenant Commander Joseph Coyme said 21 bodies had been fished out of the water.
The civil defense office said over 23,000 people in the eastern and central regions have been evacuated, while nearly 8,000 people were stranded in major ports after the coast guard suspended sea travel.
Chanchu was packing maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers (58 miles) per hour near the center with gusts up to 120 kilometers per hour, the weather bureau said.

1st Typhoon 2006

2006-05-13T20:01:00.000-05:00

It is still raining today, after almost 3 days of rain. Everything outside is soaking wet. This typhoon really brings memories of my childhood days. During rainy season it is possible to experience continous rain for 30 days. My fishponds are overflowing, my fruit trees are losing fruits everyday, and the landscapping is a mess with several trees uprooted. Cleaning up started yesterday but because of the rain, it is a painstakingly slow process. At least the roof is holding out, no leaks. However the aluminum windows are not too tight. The strong winds the other night brought in some water inside. I will attach some pictures and some news prints. Dad

Mother's Day Tea with Celeste

2006-05-13T08:57:00.000-05:00

Celeste had a special treat for Christine at her school. The kindergarten class put on a special program for all the mom's while they had tea. She and her class sang several songs and danced. They have been practicing all year for this day and they all did very well. Celeste said she made no mistakes during her dance.

Rotofugi spree

2006-05-11T22:33:00.000-05:00

Part of Celeste's birthday present was a $20 shopping spree at Rotofugi which we all know was just an excuse for her dad to do some shopping of his own. Since the easter bunny got her a full size OX Uglydoll for easter she wanted to have all sizes. She picked up the Little Ugly Ox as well as the Mini OX keychain. She also bought a Yellow Cracle Cra Cra Keychain to match her grey one. Here's what she scored..
And here's the whole OX Uglydoll family

Dad never leaves Rotofugi empty handed. The biggest score was a Tado Mad*L figure. I got really lucky because they only had 6 of these and they sold out in 20 seconds. I ordered it on their website for pick up in the store. I guess I have fast fingers. I also bought 2 Cardboy Series 1 figures, a couple OXOP QEE's Series 2a and 1 Trexi. All in all a very good day. They'll all look great in my new cabinet.

Mom and Dad's trip to the southern islands

2006-05-09T10:54:00.000-05:00

First we went to Zamboanga City on the 27th of April to attend our Rotary club district convention. The convention was from the April 28 to 30. It was attended by Rotarians from Panay Island, Negros and Zamboanga. Zamboanga is in the south western part of Mindanao. The first night dinner theme was western that is why we were all wearing western customs in some of the pictures. From Zamboanga we went to Davao. From Davao we went directly to South Cotobato (Lake Sebu) to visit your uncle Tom's sister who is the head of a mission there (with the T'Boli tribes in lake Sebu). We spent two night with her. She took us around her area which is really beautiful. We were also entertained by the T'Boli tribes with their native dances and songs in our first night there. Lake Sebu is situated near the top of the mountain yet it has several big lakes and waterfalls. You will like the place if you like living close to nature. We really like the place. From Lake Sebu we drove back to Davao and visited the sights over there. We went to Pearl farm resort and Eden garden. The Pearl farm resort is about the same standard of accommodations as Thailand. The price is of course Western standard too. It is very nice though. We spent 3 nights and four days in Davao enjoying the scneries and their fruits. They have many varieties of fruits and base on Filipino standards they have the best. But because we have tasted the fruits in Thailand, there is no comparisson. Bangkok fruits as far as we are concern are still the best. Your mom near the end of our trip was really tired because she has not fully recovered from her trip abroad yet.

Crazy Weekend...

2006-05-08T09:43:00.000-05:00

Celeste's birthday was Friday. After school we took her to her new favorite restaurant, Benihana. After eating there for auntie 'becca's birthday she can't get enough of the "live" cooking.

On Saturday, we spent 3+ hours at the Honda dealer picking up Christine's new baby. A new Honda Pilot. I'll post a pic later as well.

On Sunday, Celeste had a party for all her friends at the movie theater. All the kids were VERY excited to see the new Disney movie, The Wild but first they were treated to pizza and french fries. Then, Jen led the kids in some fun games. After that, we all sang happy birthday to Celeste and had some delicious strawberry filled white cake. Uncle Ramon and Kira showed up and Ramon led the kids in a game of simon says. Then all the kids were given snack packs with popcorn, candy and drinks before going to see the movie. All the kids gave the movie a big thumbs up. Thanks to Jen, Ramon, Kira, Marlon and Scott for coming to see Celeste and for helping us out.
Here are some pictures.

Happy Birthday Celeste!!!

2006-05-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

On this day 6 years ago, we were given a gift named Celeste Tagle Lagman. Please think of her on her special day. We Love You Big Girl!!!

The world's smallest tribute band

2006-05-04T14:32:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Carla for this submission. I guess she's spent a little too much time looking for a band to do her wedding. I think booking these guys for your wedding would rock!!

MINIKISS Website

No turning back...

2006-05-03T14:52:00.000-05:00

The deposit has been put down on the new family truckster. Accessories are being installed tomorrow and Friday. I'll post a picture as soon as it arrives. I'm dreading going into the dealer. Hopefully it's quick and painless.

A shoe in for American Inventor

2006-05-03T14:30:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Rico for this awesome submission to the blog.

A Cruzin Cooler is what every tailgater needs. Imagine the possibilities...

Have a friend or need to carry something other than cold beverages? Well they've got you covered.

The $39 Experiment

2006-05-02T22:08:00.000-05:00

"Nothing in this world is free..."
That's what my parents told me everytime I wanted to sign up for those Columbia House Tape or CD "clubs".

Well what can you get for $39 worth of stamps and some envelopes and paper? A guy named Tom Locke tries to see what companies will give him for free just by asking. He calls it The $39 Experiment. Read the article and see some of the funny responses and stuff he got. My parents also said "You don't get anything without asking" so there you go.

The Winning Eleven - Countdown to Germany

2006-05-02T21:50:00.000-05:00

Today was a day that U.S. Soccer fans (Me and Rico) were waiting for. Coach Bruce Arena announced the U.S. world cup roster. There were a couple of surprises (Conrad, Olsen, Ching) but overall it played out as expected. The U.S. is ridiculously currently ranked 4th in the world according to FIFA but is in the dreaded "Group of Death" and must find a way to beat out Italy, Czech Republic and Ghana to get to the knockout stage. Their first match is against the Czech Republic (ranked 2nd in the world) on June 12th. I'll definitely be "working" from home that day. Here's your U.S. Soccer team for this year's world cup.

Goalkeepers: Marcus Hahnemann (Reading), Tim Howard (Manchester United), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Cory Gibbs (ADO Den Haag), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Eddie Lewis (Leeds United), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege), Eddie Pope (Real Salt Lake)
Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven), Bobby Convey (Reading), Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), John O'Brien (Chivas USA), Ben Olsen (D.C. United), Claudio Reyna (Manchester City)
Forwards: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Brian McBride (Fulham), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards)

Reserves
Goalkeepers: Tony Meola (New York Red Bulls), Matt Reis (New England Revolution)
Defenders: Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Gregg Berhalter (Energie Cottbus), Todd Dunivant (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Midfielders: Chris Armas (Chicago Fire), Chris Klein (Real Salt Lake), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution), Steve Ralston (New England Revolution), Kerry Zavagnin (Kansas City Wizards)
Forwards: Conor Casey (FSV Mainz), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)

Back to reality - the girls are back from NYC

2006-05-01T23:52:00.000-05:00

Well it sounds like Christine and Jen had a incredible time in NYC. Did someone say gift bag? Where do we start...Hoboken, a Broadway Show, Cafe Wha?, Magnolia cupcakes, Soho, Little Italy, Times Square, the Village, Empire State Bldg, Ben's Pizza, Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero and more. The Big Apple from a local's POV. Can't beat that. Thanks Cath and Brian for being such amazing hosts.
Check out the slide show of their adventures

Feed your head - RSS Feed that is...

2006-05-01T23:06:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to add as many features as possible to this blog site and the latest is a RSS feed. For those of you familiar with feeds the links are below. For those that aren't, RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and it basically provides web content summaries/updates of a website. What this means for this site is that you'll get a feed with any new posts. If you use yahoo or google then you can use their readers to get the feed by clicking on the appropriate link below. I did a terrible job of describing RSS feeds so just look it up on google or wikipedia. The feed links are permanently posted on the right side of the blog in the archive section.

Da Bulls!!

2006-05-01T15:26:00.000-05:00

I didn't watch the Bulls as intensly as I normally would have this season but Skiles has them ready to play for the playoffs. They may not get past the Heat but they come ready to play.

Kobe's been getting a lot of press lately. I saw that he posterized Steve Nash the other day but we all need to remember who was responsible for the term posterizing in the first place. King Lebron definitely has the potential to be named with Jordan but for now watch the first and only real King.

Let the games begin...

2006-05-01T12:53:00.000-05:00

I sent out emails to 12 dealers today for a price quote on the new car. Now the fun begins. If anyone has ever purchased a new car, they know it is definitely one of the most painful experiences that someone can have. I think it ranks just behind a root canal. This is why I am strictly dealing via email. Hopefully, the hyper-extensive research and time on those forums pays off.

"You say you want a Revolution"? Well too bad...

2006-05-01T10:19:00.000-05:00

So Phil told me that the new Nintendo system isn't going to be called Revolution. Apparently, the name is now Wii (pronounced "whee"). I'm not a big Nintendo fan since I spend most of my time playing sports games and shooters which is not really their forte. The wireless controller for this thing looks like a remote control for your DVD player and if it operates like one then there will be a very short learning curve for most people out there.

Way better than Red Hots...

2006-04-29T21:19:00.000-05:00

It's not as cool as hearing that the Smashing Pumpkins are practicing for a reunion but I just heard that the Lemondheads are getting back together and are releasing an album on Vagrant this Fall. This should come as great news to Charlie and Dova.

Today's catch - the ones that didn't get away

2006-04-29T14:33:00.000-05:00

Almost 4 pounds of good eatin'

All the kids caught fish today. Caden was a good boy and kicked back in the stroller shouting moral support. Celeste caught the biggest fish. Luke caught the most (2) and Charlie reeled one in with Phi'ls fly rod. It was drizzling a little but we had a good spot under a tree. Almost 4 pounds of fish for $16. Chef Phil is going to cook them up for dinner.

The little anglers

2006-04-29T14:32:00.000-05:00

Gone Fishin'

2006-04-29T13:14:00.000-05:00

Happy belated engagements

2006-04-29T10:35:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Cathleen and Brian for their recent engagement. We're SO happy for you guys!! I think Chris is a little too excited. So March 3rd? Can't wait but don't expect me to do the tinikling. The unofficial engagement photo...

Also a big congrats to Carla and Phil. Stay strong and keep racking up those frequent flier miles. Here's a shot of Carla's rock.

Can you hear me now?

2006-04-28T22:13:00.000-05:00

I heard about this phone last November. Nokia now has officially announced it via press release this week. This could be the swiss army knife of cell phones. Now if it only synched with Outlook...

Here's the list of some of the goodies

3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics,
DVD-like video capture and 3x optical zoom
Connect the Nokia N93 directly to your TV for a widescreen movie experience
Upload your images and video to online albums or blogs
Create high-quality home movies and burn them to DVD with the included Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 software.
MPEG-4 VGA video capture at 30 frames per second
3x optical zoom and up to 20x digital zoom
Autofocus and close-up mode for amazing clarity and accuracy
Designed to work on WLAN, 3G (WCDMA 2100 MHz), EDGE and GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz) networks
Broadband Internet access for browsing, uploading content, and sending and receiving emails
Flip the display horizontally and use the landscape screen to browse the Web, watch TV* over 3G networks, or make hands-free video calls
Includes a stereo FM radio and a digital music player
Enjoy your music hands-free via the speaker or use the stereo headset provided
Store up to 1500 songs with a 2 GB miniSD card

I am so 8-Bit

2006-04-28T17:03:00.000-05:00

Here's a great video of some college students performing a live version of the Nintendo classic Super Mario Bros.

Well Christine and Jen flew to NY today for some fun with her sister. Have some Magnolia cupcakes for me. Baker's Dozen!!!

Meanwhile, me and the kids are going to PAAAHHHHTAAAYY!!

The Accord is detailed and ready for trade in. Family-truckster here we come!!

Next week I hope to pick a couple of the Mad*L artist series figures. The Tado and the Chris Lee are the freshest. Only 400 of each made.

However, I've now realized I must have everything designed by Jaime Hayon. I just picked up a couple of his 2" Qee's this week and I'm hooked.

Currently listening to: Joy Zipper - 33x from the album American Whip

Test photo sent from my phone

2006-04-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

Test photo of my desk sent from my phone

Test Blog from mobile

2006-04-27T10:52:00.000-05:00

Here's my attempt at blogging from my phone

Test Picture post Day 1

2006-04-26T23:49:00.000-05:00

We miss you mom!!!! Come back and visit us soon.

Test Post Day 1

2006-04-26T22:38:00.000-05:00