Spring Program(s)!!

We lucked out this year and the kids had their spring programs together!!  1st and 2nd grades performed 'Let's Go To The Movies'…..and they did a fantastic job!!  Evan had a solo singing part and 'nailed it'!!  It was fun and short and sweet!!  Great Job Kids!!

They even ended up standing 1 kid apart from each other!!

Oh Ella…..hahaha

Evan getting ready for his part!

Great Job Buddy!!

After the show we grabbed a few more pictures…..

Or at least tried…..

Easter 2015

Our Easter Bunny typically brings very practical 'spring things'……swim suits, goggles, swim toys, flip flops, etc.  Awesome Easter Bunny!!  This year that Bunny decided to throw in a pop-shot!!  The kids love it……well, if Ella can put down Thor long enough to shoot, she loves it!!  ;}

At my mom and dads……it's a mad dash for candy!!  Even though there is TONS of it to go around!!

Quick family shot……with our new Thor of course!!

Then my dad busts out the silly spray……can't go wrong with silly spray!!

At Joe's mom and dads…..our 2 are the oldest, so the 'mad dash' isn't so mad…..but intense none-the-less!!  ;}

There's still a lot of hustle…….

Then I guess it's easier to open your eggs upside down…..not sure about this girl!!

But Love her anyway!!

Love this guy too!!

Meet Thor 'Flash' Elling

And then there was this guy……the newest addition to our family.  After we had to put Harley down in December, we had been contemplating getting another dog so Brutus wouldn't be alone.  But Brutus was never the greatest with other dogs, except for Harley……so I was very nervous about getting another dog.  But when we had to put down Brutus on April 3rd, Joe and the kids decided we needed another dog asap!!  I still wanted to wait, but I was out voted.  So we searched for breeders and found little Thor!!  And at 6 weeks young, he came home with us on April 4th.

Thor is a miniature pinscher (which is what Harley was), and his color is identical to the color of Brutus (who was a Doberman Pinscher)……so he's sort of perfect for us right now!!  Well, minus the puppy training…….I'm never far from paper towels and clorex wipes!!  It's a good thing he's adorable and cuddly and tiny and adorable……

The kids wanted to name him Flash when we brought him home, because he was so so fast…..but Joe and I weren't much into Flash…..so we settled on Flash as his middle name!!

Thor Flash Elling…..born February 15, 2015.

Tiny…..so.so.tiny…...

Thor is definitely Ella's puppy……if he has to choose between all of us, it's Ella!!

It's a miniature tennisball…..but I'm still impressed he could hold onto it!!

Attacker of dandelions…...

It's good to be King!

See what I mean about adorable…...

Poor guy had been attacking this snake all day……then he finally gave up!!  (of course this is a fake snake I keep in my flowerbed to keep birds away, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity when Thor decided to nap in the mulch!!)

He's slowly getting bigger…..

R.I.P. Brutus!!

Words can't describe how much I am going to miss my gentle giant!  Brutus was the best 'big' dog I have ever known.  Very kind to every human he ever met…..unless you were a stranger to me or his kids…..then you'd better stand still until he figured you out.  I couldn't have asked for a better protector of this house, especially when Joe was driving truck and it was just the kids and I.  He will be impossible to replace!

We lost Harley in late December, and I don't think Brutus every fully recovered from losing his best friend.  His body had been changing and he became less and less active.  So I took him to the vet to determine he had Heart Disease…….at the young age of 7.  He really was broken hearted!  

I still look for him and yell his name when I hear geese on the pond…..that was his favorite thing to do….chase geese off the pond.  And well, chase anything that flew overhead!  I sure hope Harley greeted him at the gates and they are both running as healthy as ever!!

Brutus: July 11, 2007 - April 3, 2015

Big Dog, Little Dog…..this picture makes me laugh!

This is the first day we brought Brutus (right) home….he was checking out Evan while Harley checked him out and watched over Evan…..Evan seems un-entertained!!  hahaha

Such a soft cuddly pup!  :}

LOL…..Evan thought he was sooo funny…..Brutus, not so much!  This was taken a day or two before we had Ella.

Always just resting his head on your lap to get attention.  He knew he was too big to actually sit on your lap…..so this was the next best thing for him!

The kids were having tons of fun blowing bubbles and watching Brutus attack them!!

Gentle Giant!!  Not sure how old Ella is here…..but obviously not very old.  And Brutus would just sit down beside her.  Precious!  (Ella's a little mad about her face in this picture, so don't mention I posted it here!!  ;} haha)