Griffin and his new pet

For months Griffin has been pestering Mike and I to get him a pet.  He had his heart set on a rat and nothing we could say or do deterred him.  So after getting a free cage from a lady in our ward we really had no excuse not to spend the 20 dollars to buy this boy a rat, and all the supplies.  

"Crumbs" is a black and white small rat that has instantly made his way into the hearts of all the children and Mike.  I am willing to say hi to the thing (yes, I call it a thing). But I have yet to hold it and I have no intention of doing so.  

Griffin plays with Crumbs all the time and it cracks me up to hear him talk to him.  "Hi, Crumb, did you go poo poo on me again?"  Griffin walks around with a towel, toilet paper, and a bag to dispose of the droppings.  I feel like we have a new born again.

Mike loves the darn thing too, he will hold and play with it.  I usually ask before I enter a room..."is the rat in there?" and will only enter if he is safely in it's cage.  

I don't know if I'll always feel this way, but for now, I'm happy for Griffin, and happy I don't have to hold it.

A couple of things I do appreciate about Crumbs and rats in general so far is:  

They don't seem to bite.  Mike said he's never had a rat bite him and they are known not to be bitters.  

Also Crumbs does not run and hide as soon as you put him down.  He does love to explore but usually comes back to Griffin when Griffin puts his hand down and calls for him.  

He is a cuddler.  Mike sat on the coach tonight with Crumbs up on his shoulder with his head nuzzled into Mike's neck.  

And lastly Griffin is learning so much about responsibility.  He has to clean up after Crumb, change his bedding, clean his cage, feed him, and play with him. 

  

Soooo BIG!

My baby is loosing her teeth!  Well, just those baby teeth.  I pulled out Elliot's first baby tooth this week.  She has been working on it for a few weeks now and after noticing that the new tooth had already broke thru behind the baby tooth, I knew we needed to get it out.  She was so brave and wide-eyed as I yanked it out.  We all started clapping and cheering for her.  What a big girl she is.  

Manresa State Park

We finally found the beach since moving to California.  We went to Manresa a few Saturdays ago with some new friends.  We miss our 45 minute drive to York, since it took us about 3 hrs with Traffic and distance to get to the coast.  But we made it and it was a beautiful day.  

The waves were much bigger than what we were used to, so boogie boarding for the kids was not as much fun.  They kept getting knocked over by the waves.  The water got much deeper quicker too, so we couldn't really wade to far into the water.  

We all loved seeing dolphins swimming along the coast line.  After Manresa we took the long way home and drove up to Santa Cruz and drove along the board walk.  We'll have to stop there next time and check out the beach.  

11 years and counting...

July 28th couldn't come fast enough for the twinners.  They were so excited for their birthdays.  We had a great time opening presents, going to the movie theater, and finishing the night up with a yummy dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

The kids have been dying to see BRAVE Disney's latest movie.  It was so cute and worth seeing.  

Miles and Caleigh are such fun kids to be around.  And they are as different as night and day.

Miles is our natural born leader.  He loves people and makes friends wherever he goes.  He has a great smile and wears the nickname of "smiles" well.  This boy has talent when it comes to music.  He has a great ear for notes and can play many popular song on the piano.  I love Miles' energy for life and his daily quest for fun.  He loves to tease us all, but is the first to pay attention when we need to calm down.  Love you Buzz (Mike's nickname for Miles)

I don't know how so much talent winded up in this little girl but she blows us away with her abilities.  Since we've moved she can usually be found at her sewing machine.  She takes scraps of fabric and turns them into barbie skirts, barbie purses, purses for Elliot, organizers, pillows for dolls, and she even made a doll quilt.  All without instruction!  Mike said the other day, it makes him smile everytime he passes her room and hears the hum of her sewing machine.  

Caleigh has a great sense of humor, and has really matured so much this past year.  I look forward to many days shopping and laughing together.

Love you Goose!