Hello, dog Takk!

Ama and Adad hitched up their cute red trailer and headed north this morning, after a fun weekend of cuteness, celebration, and exploring. Caden and Finn had both gotten used to having Takk, their big yellow lab, in the backyard. In fact, Finn was so excited about "dog Takk" that he would frequently wander over to the sliding glass door, knock on the glass, and call out "Hello, dog Takk!" And this evening, when Finn came home to find Ama, Adad, and Takk gone, he sadly looked out into the backyard, saying "dog Takk?".

Ama and Adad weren't our only visitors this past weekend. Auntie Sally decided to book a last-minute ticket and surprised Ama and Adad by hiding in Finn's cupboard and popping out while they were touring the house after their arrival on Friday. Hiding and snuggling in Finn's cupboard became something of a theme this weekend. 

The boys were especially keen to explore the red "jellybean" trailer parked in front of our house. 

On Saturday, we went to the farmers' market, swam in one of our neighborhood pools, and had a late birthday cake celebration for Sally. 

And on Sunday, we headed down to San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Beach for antiques, shopping, and a beach picnic. 

Finn stayed home from "school" yesterday with a cold, providing more snuggling opportunities. 

Just before Ama and Adad's arrival, we received a couple of packages that Finn was very interested in. The first was by design; after watching him turn the sink in his play kitchen into a basketball hoop, we decided that he would have fun with a real one in the garage playroom. We also got a new ladder to facilitate our painting project in the guest room. Of course, Finn decided that the ladder was a toy for him, too. 

He *loves* to climb. Next on the list: a climbing structure for Finn.