Flu Shots

 

Elaine, hiding in the doctor's office ahead of shots many moons ago.

 

This year.

We went to the movies.

On the way home, I wheeled into Walgreens.

Without any questions, everyone piled out of the car and walked in with Patric and I.

When we got to the pharmacy, they started to understand.

The tears lasted for half and hour.

The shots didn't hurt.

There were some laughs between the tears.

And we were done.

 

I will never do it any other way again.

Mom. Mom. Mom!

I hear it so often, I often miss what's happening around me when I choose to ignore it.

Mom!  Is this normal?  

 

Well, that is a different sort of question worth looking up at.

 

Elaine, get off my furniture.

And, no.  That's not normal.

Now the Real Challenge

Ensure that at least two a week join me for meal preparation.  

You want cinnamon apples?

Let's make them.

 

Roasted Chicken and potatoes with cauliflower to go along.

We ate pretty well.

We Got A Blow Torch

Chocolate Crème Brule on a Saturday evening.

 

All kids gathered for the caramelizing process.

 

No matter how much they may traditionally avoid all kitchen duty.

 

Even dad.

 

And it was serious business.

 

And the vanilla was seriously good.

Chocolate was a bit disappointing for all.

 

Now I know why I was gifted the blow torch for Mother's Day. 

And it was a perfect gift.

 

 

The Theater

Opting not to run: Alida.

 

She has been hanging around the musical crew, and tried out for the play.

Here she is finding out she was cast as one of three napkins.

 

First piece of comfort: we all start somewhere.

Second: Have fun.  There is no way there are three napkins in a play who aren't there for the purpose of having fun.

Off And Running

This is a pack of 6th and 7th grade kids of one gender or another, taking off at one of the recent cross-country meets.

One and a half miles for the pack to break into stride groups.

 

 

I'm there because I have 3 of 4 who wanted to run this year. 

There is Elaine sort of front of center there, arms swinging. 

 

Ben has an unusually tall friend who talked him into joining this year.  While they don't run together, Ben hangs in there.

 

The crazy tall girl there? Elaine is right behind.

They actually wound up racing each other to the end during this race.

 

And Nicholas.

Of three races so far, he has yet to come in less than number 27 out of the whole pack.

He is determined that he will win.

 

And after each race, there is a collapse.

 

Nighttime

S'mores

And Double S'mores.

Thanks to our fire starter.

 

Propane cooked our food, but the fires helped us relax and remember to look at the stars.

For at least half an hour or so before we collapsed each evening.

Don't Be Fooled

There was a lot of stuff to haul.

Boys

I plead with them to stop being ridiculous.

Come on, I said.  20  years from now, when you are getting married and we're showing pictures of the family and your brother is your Best Man, we need some proof that you have always loved one another....

Never mind, you are clearly too busy pinching each other.

 

Twenty years and we have loved one another.

Even if we can't be counted on to recall the actual date of the anniversary.

 

Oh, You're Funny Alright

The waterfall was beautiful, but Elaine pulling her trick on me (hatched surely while I was carrying her canoe on my head all over the place...), reminded me immediately that I should never trust the girl....

 

 

Out of School

Then we pulled the kids out of school the last day of the first week, to head here.

 

Where we had dinner in the lodge my parents honeymooned at 55 years ago.

The Walleye Chowder was amazing.

 

We stayed in the bunk-house, which was surely a bit more primitive than the lodge.

 

And we took a selfie after being outfitted and left right here.

 

With nothing but us for three days, we paddled.

 

I carried a canoe on my head down these stairs.

 

This picture right before Elaine screamed and disappeared over the edge.

I was in the process of throwing my camera down and diving over the edge after her when she popped up off a ledge laughing.

 

Then we made camp and watched the sunset,

 

while dad and Elaine went fishing.

 

Then we settled in.

 

And woke.

 

And we were quiet.

 

Then we were off.

 

Off, to spend a little time in Canada.

 

And we waited out a storm over lunch.

 

Camped and went swimming.

Patric says those are entirely fake smiles--it was a little cold.

 

We had dinner at sunset.

 

Woke and did it all again.

 

Back To School 2018

Their very first lockable lockers.

Stuffed with supplies.

And decorated with wallpaper. (I see some cleaning fees in my future...)

 

And Nicholas teaching the girls the metric system after Patric and I just flat out gave up and looked up the conversions on our phones. Math review packets one of the last items of the summer.

 

Ben: sweat pants and denial

All the way. His math review packet is still sitting here at home (sigh).

 

And then, they were off.

Middle Schoolers all of them.

All Good Things

Must come to and end.

 

But I don't think the children believe that means they must wind up at the doctor's office for annual physicals, and in the girls' case shots...

Elaine may seriously have attempted to hitch a ride out of there.

 

Vacation over, we were headed back toward school days.