Including a stop at Wollman Rink…

My colleague Wade tried to cast a spell on me with the magic wand he carries in his knapsack (for real)…

Our flight out of LaGuardia was cancelled. Took a speeding cab ride to JFK. Got the last seat on the last plane to MSP. Tiny plane, back row and Angie’s seat has no window! We are basically rock stars…

The floor drain in our 120 year-old house backed up…

And here it is after I removed the shower on top of it and snaked it out…

The kids helped me clean the kitchen…

And we cheered for the Vikings throughout the Super Bowl. Maybe next year!

Signed a treaty at work…

Annabelle had outpatient ear surgery for tubes at Children’s Hospital (client). The staff there is just great. Let her bring her car back to her room, even. And no complications is even better…

The “twins” now weigh only four pounds apart. They’re continually adorable…

And trouble…

The brothers trade off loving each other and fighting, too…

Oh, I had a lovely time at the dentist. No cavities, which earned me a high-five from the dentist. In your face, plaque…

The neighbor’s one dead Christmas tree turned into two…and then into three…

And a trip to New York. The Grand Hyatt is becoming a favorite hotel. The rooms have been completely revamped. It feels very “W” there now. And the views of Grand Central are truly special…

Taxis and ant people!

And I took Grant bowling…

The kids ate an entire box of macaroni and cheese…

“Sorry Mario, but your princess is in another castle…”

Annabelle and I took Grant to school…

Then we headed to Iowa for Thanksgiving. Lots of cousin time…

The kill Uncle AJ game…

The whole family hit Disney on Ice…

Grant on my lap…

Grayson on my lap…

Annabelle on my lap…

Ashlynn on my lap…

The view on Thanksgiving morning…

What the boys thought…

And a bonus, I saw Santa coming in late for work…

Games for the kids…

Crafts for the adults…

Food…

A polka band playing, “In heaven there is no beer, that’s why we drink it here…”

Someone please explain this game to me…

Water balloon fight in the street…

And a tour of the historic Guardian Angels church, including an exclusive look at the 1902 pipe organ…

And some videos:
Playing the 1903 pipe organ at Guardian Angels Cathedral
The one where the AngelFest music is shaking all the windows in our house, and Grant is concerned
Backyard fire + James Brown = awesome

Took the boys bike riding…

Let the cheerleader eat some leaves…

Played baseball with the eldest child…

While the youngest and middle child gave the truck a tune-up…

Caught the Vikings game with my group of guy friends. It’s no coincidence we all enjoy eating animals…

And enjoyed the first Speak: Church Communications Conference…

It was a staycation this week, so I had ample opportunities to play with the kids…

We took Grayson to preschool orientation…

Took Grant to soccer…

Got all dressed up for the Iowa State gamewatch — to watch the Cyclones beat the Hawkeyes! YES!

And taught the boys how to ride bikes…

Had some fun with the kidz…

This is a bus stop…

This is a “meeting place”…

I went to New York for work, and Jenny tagged along…

And so did these yahoos…

And so did Batman…

And a shot of Ground Zero just before Hurricane Irene…

Meanwhile, the kids were perfectly happy at Nana and Papa’s…

And we discovered these Vikings upon returning home…

We helped some friends move…

I attended the Alphabet Bash and ate something on every plate of this table…

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

James the tiny dog came to work…

Grant started his new soccer schedule…

We visited Grandma Kay’s new place and tested out her pool…

Enjoyed the backyard fire pit…

My car’s thermostat is apparently on the fritz…

And the kids continue to sprout…

Backyard nature…

The kids got to visit the Minnesota Vikings Training Camp in Mankato…

MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

This is Adrian Peterson…

I installed a moon landing on the ceiling of my office…

We visited the Green Giant…

We went to a wedding…

We had four babies in one pew…

Don’t you love how every single church nursery has these same cardboard bricks?

Bubbles…

Reception…

Cousins…

And a stop at Cabela’s on the way home…

This dad brought his laptop, logged onto the community center wi-fi and was surfing GunsAmerica.com to purchase a new weapon — while at the pool…

More after the jump!

An entire year of e-mail — 8 gigs worth — was archived on one DVD…

I took Grant to Kindermusik…

And I spotted this giant painting of a rooster for sale – $799…

I distributed about 200 flyers for National Night Out and re-discovered this gem in someone’s front yard…

Grandma Kay sent Grayson a new cot for camping…

Annabelle was still cute…

LEGO Gothic…

Historic Downtown Chaska put up its Historic Downtown Chaska banners…

River City Days 2011…

My church again had a booth with Pork Chops on a Stick and Roasted Corn (full set here)…

My parents from Florida came into town. Grant stayed with them in the camper. We all went swimming. A sword fight occurred …

And Grant found a frog…