Family
Heartfelt updates about family milestones and everyday moments. From taking Mazie to college and annual visits to the Renaissance Festival to Swedish‑pancake breakfasts and VR outings with the kids, this category celebrates togetherness.
Last Day of School 2014
Mazie was super excited to be done with school for the summer. We have a 4th grader in the house now! The whole neighborhood celebrated as kids ran all over to start the summer off right!
Email from Mazie
I’m starting to introduce Mazie to email. I also showed her how to use emoji characters. One of her first emails to me celebrating her favorite emoji!
Playing Can’t Stop with Mazie and Tammy.
Tyler is really into Puff, the Magic Dragon. Still a great song.
Z-Scale model train awesomeness with Tyler.
Twelve four-year olds at our house for Tyler’s birthday party. Good this is only 90 minutes!
Awesome 8 year old question, Mazie: “Was J Jill related to J Crew?”
Playing Clue with Mazie and Tammy. It’s about to get wild here on New Year’s Eve!
Just reset a Furby Boom from a gross, farty “boy” to a new girl and got “joy to the world!” from Mazie’s friend. 😀
Kids Running for Kid's World Marathon Challenge
Our neighbor Nicole organized the Kids Running for Kid’s team to raise money for the Save the Children World Marathon Challenge. Mazie and Tyler joined 50 other kids running segments of a marathon around the block and raised $1,526 for a great cause.
Nice morning for Tyler and I to have a father/son breakfast.
Not too cold for Minnesota United FC soccer tonight! ⚽️
Mazie and her friend at the final Minnesota United FC soccer game of the season.
Minnesota United FC scores again! 3 - 1
Wonder how many soccer matches are played at 42 °F.
Mazie's First Hockey Game
Mazie and I went to the Minnesota Wild game last night along with Alone and Dylan. It was Mazie’s first hockey game and although she thought it was too loud at times she had a great time. Of course chocolate ice cream helps! And we got these weird looking hats.
Congratulations Alona & Dylan!
On September 27th my sister Alona tied the knot with her fiancé Dylan! They had a very nice ceremony followed by a reception at the Maple Grove Community Center. The ceremony was family and close friends standing in the gardens off of the reception area. Alona and Dylan had a Bahá’í marriage ceremony which does not have an officiant. They asked me to start things off with a few words.
Good evening and welcome to the marriage ceremony of Alona Thingelstad and Dylan Maas-Morgan. Alona, my sister, and Dylan have asked me to greet you all today and welcome you to this wonderful ceremony of love and dedication.
I am sure that you have all been to a many weddings, however this may be your first Bahá’í wedding. You will notice that no clergy is present, we are not in a church and everybody is enjoying a wonderful Minnesota fall evening. A Baha’i wedding is a simple exchange of a single statement. Once both the groom and bride make this pledge in the presence of two witnesses, Dylan and Alona will be married.
Today, Alona’s mother Rosalin and I have agreed to serve as these witnesses. While a Bahá’í marriage is a decidedly simple affair, Bahá’í’s take the institution of marriage with the utmost seriousness.
From the Kitáb-i-Aqdas: “And when He desired to manifest grace and beneficence to men, and to set the world in order, He revealed observances and created laws; among them He established the law of marriage, made it as a fortress for well-being and salvation, and enjoined it upon us in that which was sent down out of the heaven of sanctity in His Most Holy Book.” That fortress is filled with that most important thing, love. From `Abdu’l-Bahá: “…[I]n the world of humanity the greatest king and sovereign is love. If love were extinguished, the power of attraction dispelled, the affinity of human hearts destroyed, the phenomena of human life would disappear.”
In a moment Dylan and Alona will exchange those blessed words. This will be followed with a Bahá’í prayer. Please listen closely. As with many great things in life, it all goes by much too quickly.
And now a reading from Dylan’s mother, Cynthia…
Here are the photos I took. I also put them on Facebook for all the people that like that kind of thing, but I’m also putting them here so they are still around after Facebook (A.F.).
It was a great evening filled with family and fun. Congrats to my sister and her new husband and I wish them years of wedded bliss!
See also: Wedding day, Tammy and I, and Party Hat.
Me: Look at that big airplane.
Tyler (3): Yeah, he just took off from airport.
Me: Where do you think he’s going.
Tyler: Mall of America.
Tyler and I starting day out right at Urban Bean Coffee.
Me: “Why are you up so early?”
Tyler (3): “I have a meeting Dad.”
Mazie and I had a great time at Minnesota United FC soccer match. We wore our matching 2013 US National Kubb Championship shirts! Kubb and Soccer! We’ll definitely be back again this season.
Tyler and I had a great time on the MetroTransit light rail for fun! Tyler loves the train!
Beach Kubb with Tyler today.
