Well the summer is almost here, we are in that golden moment where school’s end is imminent, the weather is getting rather predictably good, the sense of good times to come is palpable.  The kids are looking forward to having some time off, and even Nikki is looking forward to the summer, where in years past there was usually a slight hint of dread: “what are we going to DO all day?”.  This year it’s looking up since the kids are even more fun to do stuff with than ever, where before we seemed to be hampered sometimes by the age of the boys.  Some random samplings of late:

Jordy’s grade 8 graduation is almost here, which is a crazy thought all by itself.  Party preparations are in full swing, there will be some number of her friends in our backyard next week.  No worries though, she is actually turning into the teenager she was threatening to do for the last couple of years, which is to say she is awesome.  We will still have some academic fun to work through next year, no doubt, but she continues to grow and mature into a wonderful person.

Quinn and I were talking recently about what kind of job he might end up with as a grown up.  Lately he had been thinking he would become an artist and sell his art in a shop.  I was explaining that the way to make your life fun was to find work that you love to do, so you don’t get bored of it.  We mulled over a few things, and then I mentioned that there were people who built Lego models for a living, creating the sets that Quinn loves oh so much.  Well, that was a revelation to say the least, you could get paid to play with toys for a living?  Needless to say, Quinn now has a new professional goal that combines his love of Lego and his creativity.

Cael and Nikki and I had some good quality time on Friday and Saturday since Jordy was in BC, and Quinn was staying with Nanny and Poppy.  We went to see Night at the Museum 2, and we enjoyed it quite a bit, if not quite as much as Up.  Cael also set the agenda on exactly how many cuddles there were to be with each of us, so I think he had a pretty good time overall.

Lloyd is still the best puppy around, he continues to prove to be very trainable, and listens incredibly well for a 13 week old dog.  It’s a wonder he can hear anything we say over the constant rumbling of his belly. He is getting over 3 cups of food a day now, and weighs over 35 pounds.  It’s getting crazy folks, but he is still so frigging cute that he gets away with any missteps with ease.  There’s just no defense against that face.  Harvey was never so thrilled that Melvin came over on Sunday to take Lloyd’s playtime duties, although I would say that he was about 15% miffed that he wasn’t the plaything of choice.  He has more than adjusted to Lloyd’s energy, he is anxiously waiting every morning for Lloyd to be released from his cage, whining and ready to go.  They are best buddies now.

It’s done.  A recent fit of insanity, and we now own two dogs.  Not just any two dogs, of course.  Two large dogs.

Meet Lloyd.  He is basically a stuffed animal that does three things:

• captivates anyone who looks at him, piercing their heart with instant love and adoration
• while he weighs 20 pounds or so now, there’s a sense of looseness about him, like an empty sack just waiting to be filled with muscle and dog food.
• he does not sleep at night.  No sir.  That’s when Lloyd practices singing, yelping, yowling, panting, etc.

There is no reason to believe that Lloyd will be anything but humongous.  That’s why the present is rather hilarious, or will be more so in about 6 months.  The hardwood floors are far too slippery for Lloyd, for instance.  It’s as if we have a baby gate up, he won’t willingly walk onto them.  Also, he seems very happy to be carried up and down any stairs, for they are far too huge for him to contemplate.  They aren’t really, but he has no confidence yet, so we carry him most places for now.  His paws (which I really have to get a better picture of to show you) are the same size as Harvey’s.  Maybe not in sheer mass, but in displacement.  These paws are made to support a much larger structure than they currently do.  It makes me realize that you don’t build a bridge from the top down, and the paws are the first thing to swell to enormous size so that the rest of his body can do the same.

He isn’t very big on moving around, but when he runs, it’s like a bunny rabbit at the moment, rocking forward and back.

You can be sure there will be more of Lloyd (and Harvey) to see here in the coming months as Nikki and I become besotted with him like first time parents again.

Note that in this picture, it’s his back paw you can see between his two front ones, and not his willy.  This is a family blog, people.