Some days we just get it right.

About a week ago Owen had two friends over to hang. I read about an outside game where you fill a garbage bag with water and then hit it repeatedly until it explodes. Perfect! Right up just about every kid's alley. So we swam in our underwear no less and filled up about fifty garbage bags. Lily even got in on the action. Owen managed to hold onto the title of three hits to have a bag explode, you had to know it would turn into a competition right. It's not fun, unless there is a winner. At least, if you're a little boy that is.


It doesn't happen all the time but on days like this I feel better about my mothering. That I'm not totally screwing it all up. That they are happy and have a good life.








Bag is about to explode on baby brother.












Trying to break Garron's record.


The anticipation.


The record was broken!


Not to be outdone.

Swim team and the Mead children kicking butts.

Would you anticipate anything less? It varies week to week with some weeks having much more butt kicking involved than others. Every time I use the word butt, just know I am saying it with Spongebob's voice. So that makes it okay and ladylike still.


Owen and Luke are on swimteam this year. It's Owen's third year and Luke's first year of competition. They do all four strokes; freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke and backstroke.


Owen's favorite stroke is probably butterfly. Of the three meets we've had he's come in first place twice in this event. It's fun to cheer him on. He is so competitive and wants to win. Of the four events he'll usually get one or two first place ribbons and the other's in second or third place.

Chad and I are proud of both boys but aren't those people yet. You know the ones who run along the side of the pool screaming, yes, screaming for their kid to "COME ON!! PUSH IT!! COME ON!" No, we're on the bleachers thinking what an idiot that guy is.




Belly-flop!


Here Luke is in his very first race doing the backstroke. Nevermind that halfway he flipped over and did three freestyle strokes.



Luke got second place in freestyle. This particular meet he got first place in breaststroke. Chad and I are just grateful that they do not disqualify the younger ones for stroke violations. Poor Luke isn't exactly doing the cordinating arms and legs that go with each stroke. He mostly swims underwater. For each 25 yard race he probably does about 2.5 correct strokes.

Anything to win, anything to win.


Lily cheers the boys on from the sideline with her crazy hair.

An evening of ball and sword fighting.

Daddy's on the run!






Often in the evening once the sun goes down we retire to the backyard for some football throwing. Lily gravitates to a basketball and insists upon having it thrown to her two times for every one time the boys get a ball thrown to them. Owen goes for the football, always. And Luke, he varies in his activities. One this particular evening he and Chad engaged in a battle of swords. At one point Chad's legs were both chopped off and then Luke's head was taken. Miraculously they both still continued the fight.

Even they know, somehow, that they are above this.

My mother came to visit over Memorial Day weekend this year. We thought it would be fun on Monday to go to the lake. So did a lot of other people. The kind, well the kind that can afford a free activity. . .get my drift. Yes, I am judgmental and a terrible person. But I just can't help it. I kept my feelings to myself about the whole thing.


Until, I looked over and saw Luke. Look at how he is examining the crowd from his peripheral vision. Disgusted. Then I knew I had passed on my personal feelings without verbalizing them. They are mine and Chad's children. They don't know why but, they know that this is not for them. HA! At this point I busted out laughing because all three of my children were out of the water, on our blanket surveying the crowd, silently judging.


Lily took it one step further and didn't even put a pinky toe in the water. She just marched up and down the shore with her cheeks hanging out.


Owen was more discreet about his disgust. Always the pleaser personality. Which is just so him. He was probably dealing with an internal conflict of feeling bad about his bad feelings. Would never want to be rude or hurt someone's feelings, he is a lot like my brother Josh. But, still, he wasn't getting off that blanket.


My mom and I cracked up all the way home about this whole lake experience. I'm very much one of those let's pull the ripcord and go people. I'm not here for my health, so if you're not having fun then let's go! So we did. We spent a grand total of fifteen minutes at the lake. Probably about fourteen minutes too long.

Yes, I am a snob. And so are my children, apparently.

These two get on just fine.

Luke and Lily have a special relationship. They just get each other. Often I will find myself in a quiet home and I will go and look for the disaster. Instead I find these two. Playing dress up, kitchen, legos, wrestling around with Duke, playing with cars or trains. Luke has a way of entertaining Lily and keeping her attention. He'll come up with games and competitions for them to do. He is quite creative of a player.






One of the sweetest things Luke does on a regular basis is encourage Lily. I'll be away from them a bit and I'll hear him advising her on how she can do something.

"Try to put your foot here,"

"If you use this hand then it will work, you can do it Lil'"


It is lovely. It is something that makes my mothers heart burst. Love that boy.


I'd love to hear the soundtrack that goes through Lily's head. I'm sure one of the songs, along with the very popular I'm a Gummy Bear, would be Anything you can do I can do better. She is a get out there and try it girl, and I love that.


On a side note. Isn't this the way the Wicked Witch of the East was found by Dorthy? Not to imply anything. . . Lily was sent to her room the other day and when I came to release her from the horribleness of time-out, this is what I discovered. Ouch. Of course I took a photo first though. Memories, people, oh the memories.

Our pool, is a lovely, lovely thing. Especially since we live on the surface of the sun.

Ahhhh, summertime is definitely here.

A summer evening, before it was 110 degrees, which it was today, just for the record.

DUKE! Isn't he handsome?


Lily and my geraniums.


Check out Luke and his death stare.




A delight for the eyes.