Marlin and Calcifer

This is Marlin. He's the senior pet around here.
 
 Emily picked him out from the pound when he was a tiny kitten. Funny story, his given name was Merlin. For some reason, we read it Marlin, and being the Finding Nemo fans that we are...it stuck even after we realized the mistake. His life consists of hunting all night, and coming inside as I am letting Totoro out in the morning. He sleeps all day on the water bed and then hits the streets again at night. He mainly keeps to himself, but will show up every now and then for some food and/or attention (usually at the same time).  

Because he lives here with us, he gets to have many other pet siblings. Snake, guinea pigs, and hamsters. He rarely gives them any attention. Recently, Merlin gained a new pet room-mate. This is Calcifer our newish bird.
 
 Their relationship to going about the same as all the others. Today they had some quality time. 
It lasted about a minute. Calcifer's pretty colors and flapping wings almost captured Marlin's  attention. 


But not quite. Marlin is hard to impress.

Tug-of-war

 This Apple Valley household includes this large furry four legged friend. Although he is pretty good looking beast, he is also a lankey teen-ager that still LOVES to play.

 He selects a toy from his basket and then proceeds to force a game of tug-of-war onto anyone  who happens to be in the room.

 

Today's toy selection is his string of Christmas lights. Always a favorite...

He gets a good grip on the toy, then charges full speed toward his unsuspecting playmate.

 

Totoro's first challenge of the hour goes out to Andrew.

 

Andrew was not taking the challenge, but that did not stop the determined beast.

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 Ryan happened to walk into the room. Lucky for Totoro, Ryan is always a willing tug-of-war partner.

We're all still here

I miss my blog. I have fallen behind and there is no way to play catch-up. We have traveled, had birthdays, graduated, got jobs, gained pets, hung out with friends, had family reunions and gained a new neice. Like I said there is no way to play catch-up except for featuring this kiddo.

 

This is baby Virginia (seriously one of the cutest babies in the world) who is well loved by her Apple Valley cousins, aunt, and uncle! We cannot wait to see her in a few weeks. But, like I said no way to catch up. I will leave you now with the fact that we are all still here in our Apple Valley world.

 Erik is still programming and gaming.

 Emily is still dancing and now singing.

 Ryan is still avoiding homework and gaming.

Andrew is still hanging with friends and gaming...and so exstatic that I got a new camera and am going to restart this blog.

Our Last Moments

We wanted to make our last moments with Lauren count. So after a lazy morning, we went to lunch. In honor of Lauren's upcoming study abroad to France, we went to Pardon My French...bring on the croissants....the creme brulee...and Haute Ham sandwiches. After lunch, we were feeling the need for either a nap or a good walk. The walk won, and we decided to go to the zoo. It is so close and convenient..and there are cute little penguins. These penguins are wobbly, playful and so gosh darn cute.

Yes, we saw all the different animals, even got to touch a few sharks and stingrays. Did you know that stingrays are surprisingly silky and friendly?Thank you Lauren for the fun visit. We already miss you.

Lauren's visit part one

We skipped Winter this year. Not just on this blog, but the entire state just skipped it. We went right to spring break. Who better to start a spring break with, then Lauren? She came to visit for an extended weekend of fun! After seeing Hunger Games and having a delicious Indian lunch buffet with the entire Minnesota family Our first stop was Skyzone in Oakdale. This is the trampoline mecca. It is great fun and a great workout. Is it bad to admit that after pretty much 10 minutes, I was ready for a break? Breaks are for wimps.

"We" jumped into foam pits.

"We" were jumping all over the place (sometimes avoiding the camera).We jumped high

"We" jumped off the walls. I still can't figure that out (although everyone else seems to have no problem with it)."We" looked cute and fun as we posed for pictures.Definitely, WE all had an incredible time.
Skyzone was only one stop in our weekend of fun. What visit to Minnesota would be complete without a trip to MOA to ride some rides?Walking around an amusement park is a great way to bond with cousins.

Defying death is a great way to bond with cousins.Anticipating the scariest hill in the park is a great way to bond with cousins...and aunts.Eating together at the food court is a great way to bond with cousins...from both sides of the family.
Waiting in lines together is a great way to bond with cousins....Riding the Blues Clues ride is a great way to enjoy our MN cousins.
Skipping the rides, but winning a big prize is a great way to impress us all!

10 things in 10 weeks

I have missed this blog. I have missed the entire blogging world these past ten weeks. I have spent the last ten weeks getting to know a great first grade class at Pillsbury Elementary. My time with them is now over, and it is time to get back to everything that I have put on hold. Including the blog.

I cannot even dream of catching up...we have been so busy. So I decided to choose ten things that have happened to our family over the last ten weeks (not in exact order).End of last year, Ry entered the world of teenagers. Last month, he had some friends over to celebrate...a Minecraft LAN party. Complete with Minecraft cake by grandma Ginger. I will find pictures. Funny how Ry keeps aging and I haven't changed a bit.My grandmother Hamer passed away at the age of 93 1/2. I had the privileged of taking Gail to say good-bye. It was a touching morning. There was a wonderful ceremony to honor her life. Many different family members came into town. It was great to be all together during this time.
Emily and I got to go see The Lion King. Such a great show. Next time it is in town, I am bringing the boys too. I highly recommend this show!Andrew participated in his first Pinewood Derby. He didn't win, but he had a great time, and learned a bunch. Next year may be his year!Emily danced at the Timberwolves game. The Target Stadium was packed. Attendance broke records. Unfortunately, the wolves lost in the last minute of the game. But, boy was that 1/2 time show incredible! In the last ten weeks, she also had her Mall of America show too. Again, a great performance. I love watching her dance!Emily got to be in the school play, The High Schoolers Guide to the Galaxy. She played Beth. It is a super cute play. She had a great time participating in the show and making new friends. A star was born!Totoro got out a few times. He is super fast and very hard to catch. Each time he escapes, a small miracle happens and we get him back. Also, catching him usually becomes a neighborhood event. Today, I stopped him from eating a box of light bulbs. I really think he has a death wish.Andrew was baptized. We had the baptism and then went out for Chinese buffet..a family tradition.Andrew learned to ride a bike. There is no stopping him now. He is constantly looking for someone to ride with around the neighborhood. We even took our first bike trip to the zoo. We finally have an entire family of bikers.

I finished my student teaching experiences. I am happy to say that I was on time EVERY morning...which means that I was out of the house by 6 am. I really loved the experience, but I am happy to have me days back.