A Busy Weekend

We had a very busy weekend planned!  Joe was off this weekend, so we got to do all of this as a family!

The weekend started at 7am with a photo shoot in Lakeville.  Our new puppy was having her picture taken with the rest of her litter by a friend early in the morning and we wanted to be there to help out.

We then met friends at the MN Zoo.  We hadn't been there with E since he was 5 months old.  The zoo has changed a lot since then and it is much different going with and 3 and a half year old than an infant.  We had a great time catching up with old friends.

E loved looking at all the dinosaurs.  His favorite show these days is 'Dinosaur Train.'  He named a bunch of the dinosaurs and thought that they were all pretty cool.

E found these eye goggles in the car on the way down to the zoo.  They are an old pair of Joe's that he wore when he had his nose surgery.  E LOVED wearing them, even though it was HOT

Isaac and E

Joe said that this goat was just like Siren, jumping up on him.

E and Isaac sharing a brush

After the zoo, we went to pick up our new puppy Optimus.  E really wanted to bring her to the zoo, with us.  When I told him that we couldn't bring her with, he suggested that we put her in a backpack.  A good idea, but not an option!

After we picked up Optimus, we had a going away party to go to.  We had a great time visiting with friends and family.  E got to wrestle with his Uncle Kyle, have a water fight with his Aunt Katie and show off his new puppy Optimus.

That was all just on Saturday.

On Sunday we woke up early-because that's what little puppies and little boys do.

We got the last hard sided swimming pool in the Twin Cities and filled it up.  

It has a built in slide and E thought this was a GREAT feature.

Optimus' remaining siblings came over for a play date.  They all also enjoyed the pool-I wasn't able to get any action shots of them though.

They did have fun destroying one of my day lillies though.

E was a monkey!

It was a busy weekend but a fun one!  

A Very Special Puppy

My Aussie Siren's sister had puppies 6 weeks ago.  I got to be there for the birth of all of these puppies except the first born (same thing happened with Siren's litter-I wasn't their for Siren's birth).  Anyways, I wasn't planning on getting a puppy from this litter for myself, but if the "Perfect Junior Puppy" for E was in this litter, then it would come and live with us and be his dog.

I think we found the Perfect Puppy.  Her puppy name is "Viper" and she was the first born and the only black-tri. (Siren was the first puppy born and the only blue merle in a litter of black-tri's.)  

I don't believe a lot in reincarnation, but when the puppies were a few days old, I had a feeling that Viper was Mazie (Factor's girlfriend) reincarnated and that she was meant to be E's junior dog.  I put this out of my mind though, because I thought it was crazy thinking.

Mazie and Factor

As the puppies have been growing, Viper has been trying to make her case known.  Viper was 3 weeks old and she and E had some special bonding time.  E got to pick a puppy to watch tv with one night while we were over visiting them and he picked Viper. She snuggled with him while he watched tv and she tolerated anything that he did with her.

As the weeks have progressed, she has been smitten with him.  She seeks him out to give him kisses, she never chews on his clothes and she follows him wherever he goes.  I thought that maybe I was trying to see something that wasn't there, but at the beginning of the sixth week-I couldn't doubt it anymore.  

Viper is that Perfect Junior puppy!

We brought the puppies on a field trip to experience some novel things.  Viper kept true to form and followed E everywhere he went, including on a scooter board and through a squish machine.

Viper is behind E

Viper and Cuda are watching E as he goes through

Viper following right behind

She made it!

 E went back for another go and Viper was right there to do it again with her boy! 

I asked E what he thought about a couple names for his new puppy and he has rejected each of my suggestions.  I asked him what he wanted to name his puppy and he responded with, "Optimus Prime."  It is his puppy, so I guess he gets to name her.


He has been very adamant about this name and I am having a very hard time convincing him to change it.  
I am ready to concede-I don't think I can change his name.  
E will call her Optimus Prime and everyone else will call her "Opie" or "Prime" or "Opti"

Happy Birthday Aaron

Aaaargh Aaron turned 4!

We celebrated in Aaron's birthday in pirate style today.  

It was a little hot, but the boys stayed cool in the sprinkler.

Sprinkler Fun

Water Slide Fun

Ethan checking out the fun

  

Aunt Sandy made this cool pirate cake

Birthday Boy!

Ethan checking out his daddy's shoes

Aaaargh!

Following the map

Inside the treasure chest

 A water balloon fight ended the party.