Friday, May 27, 2016

First 5K

First Place.
 
It was a small Wetumpka race, but he had the teenage boys giving him some serious high-fives at the end.
 
Later Patric and I had to laugh over the first two years of this boy's life and the specialists and the surgery and the gerd and the worry.  Still coughs like he has croup half the time, but there is no stopping this guy.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Boy Scout Crossover Camp

Helping your friend.
 

Fireside.
 

Devotional.
 

Flag Ceremony
 

The crossing over part is pretty symbolic...


Bacon
 

A tree hit by lightning and ripe for climbing.
 

And lots of mud.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Conversations with Alida

"Hey Mom."

"Yes Alida."

"You know what our next house needs?"
 

 
"Alida, even if I had the money, I am not buying you your own personal gymnasium."
"Yeah mom, I didn't think you would."
 

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Aggravating Things: I'm not a plumber!

Two years into owning this gravel drive, it needed a little patching ahead of some new gravel. 
(And we've managed to drive out a new circular driveway that is just dirt at present....)
We declined the $2,400 estimate to patch and lay gravel, thank you. I have a trip to the beach to think about.
 

So you load the gorilla cart with red Alabama clay from one part of your property, and haul it to another. Then later you call some folks that will just drive over with some gravel and dump it about.  Easy enough.
 

 
You even sneak in a few breaks along the way.
 
 

 
Then, just after you've assigned the last tasks and headed in to warm up some lunch, a girl walks in and tells you: Nick ran over "something" and now there is "water everywhere".
 

 
Said something.
 

 
Find the water main and shut it down;
Hack off the break in the pipe and cap the thing because we knew it was there; we had never attempted to use it.
Done. 
Plumber: other mothering duties as assigned.
 
Half the red clay that was careful packed and molded?
Wet disaster.
For another day.

Monday, May 23, 2016

Some Assembly Required

While we assembled, we took a few breaks to consider just making it a chariot.
 

Dad stopped by for lunch, and we attempted to make him puzzle through it. 
Then he left about as quickly as he came....

 
Of course, there was a point during the afternoon we gave up too.
Then, we all puzzled together and learned how to play H-O-R-S-E.
 

Friday, May 13, 2016

School Days

 
Elaine's April Fool's Day Joke:
"Hey mom, would you like a brownie?"
 

 
Everyone is not a Superhero;
they have not watched the Incredibles lately.

Whoops, check your work!
 

Better "F"
Note from daddy, excusing Ben from school while he was sick.
Sent home to be re-worked...

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Birthday Cake Challenge

Has been thrown down by Nicholas.
 
At least he gave me more than two day's notice this year.
It may be too much to hope he'll forget the ask by birthday time.

Monday, May 9, 2016

They and We

They went to the beach for the weekend.
 

Even Elaine who claims she will swim in  nothing but a pool, hit the ocean.
 

And we went here, to sit by the fire.
 

And they had breakfast with grandpa.
 

While we had breakfast in the mountains.
 

And they rode this.
 
 
 
While we rode that.
 
And everyone had a wonderful time.

Sunday, May 8, 2016

While Walking Through the Woods One Day

Just chattering away, he and I.
We stop short and silent as we nearly walked into this guy.
 
What do we do?
"Don't worry," says Patric.  "They're only aggressive if there is a baby close."
 

And out walked baby.
We walked a wide circle round; we had our own kids to make it home to.

Booby Trap

 
The back of the back  yard.
 

 
With a hole in the path to the fire pit.
 

 
A big hole.
 
Dug as a booby trap to catch what, we're not sure...

Boys!

Go outside if you are going to fight.
 
"okay."
 
That is indeed a wooden sword about as long as he is in his hand.