The End is the Beginning

 
 

This year the kids had school longer than I did, which meant I was able to meet them in their Cafeteria for lunch during their last week.  It as great, I was already at Merrick's table when his class came in and to watch his smile grow and the excitement build as he jumped and hopped was really wonderful.  I was even invited to play at recess with him, although it was only about 4 minutes before I was asked to move our game of monkey in the middle, back on to the playground.  Lunch ladies and playground supervisors still give me a little scare.  Sophia was happy I was at lunch as well, but said I was not invited to recess, because she and her friends had to talk and I would "ruin the mood."
With the final days of school over we changed gears to summer. We headed back to EC for the weekend to see the whole gang, with grandpa setting up tents and hiding gorillas in the woods, it was a pretty typical weekend.  Back in GB we headed out to the sanctuary to feed the geese and ducks, only to come home and find a mallard had nested in our front flowers, right under the window.  At this time she is sitting on a clutch of 11 eggs.  Ducklings will abound very shortly and we are excited for the hatch.  We also hit the thrift sales on an early Friday morning and made some great finds including a tag-along bike for Merrick to follow behind me on longer rides, a globe and even a karaoke amp for Sophia. With her birthday coming up Merrick and I already grabbed a new microphone for her to complete the set up.  Sophia started summer school, albeit a day late.  We were camping along Lake Michigan and woke up Monday morning and only then remembered that she had school that day.  She did come out of class just beaming after her first day.  Merrick and I however decided to go fishing as well as score him a sweet new mountain bike from a curb for only 10 bucks.  We cleaned it up while Sophia was at school and he is now set on bikes for the next several years.  Camping was fun with some great hikes and kickball games, there seemed to be a dozen sugar and dirt coated kids running around so it looked like N. Rockwell meets T. Redlin images all weekend long.  Some of the time was spent catching alewives at the beach as well.  Merrick lost his peddle about 6 times, his chain twice, loosened the goose-neck and blew out a reflector.  Making the new bike find particularly timely.

A Month and More

We must be keeping very busy as I have not updated the blog in over an month.  The weather has been a roller coasted of late spring with sweaty highs followed by biting winter winds.  But rest assured that we are staying busy both outside and in.  Merrick's Soccer is in full swing and Sophia's is just revving up.  Dance is done and school is coming to a fast end.  Add to this a new slack-line and the kids racing in the local 5 K and it all makes for busy times

 

Sophia ran in her first 5K race and finished in 34 minutes flat.  Her legs have gotten long and she has the grace of a gazelle.  Merrick also ran in the kids run in the same race and has a swagger and strut that can only be created through confidence and testosterone.  Grandpa and Grandma came over to watch the kids run their laps around the field inside of Lambeau and Grandpa came ready for a banner for each kid to hold while the other raced.  We also spent some time back in EC.  We collected a grocery bag full of morels when we were supposed to be playing whiffle ball (it has been a remarkable year for morels). Made it out to big falls for a high water hike complete with several snakes, one of which was right on top of Sophia's shoe as we scaled the granite shoreline.  Last weekend was mostly spent at Sophia's dance recital.  It was on the big stage and consisted of two  3 plus hour shows.  Her two dances were beautiful and during her ballet dance she was lifted and carried like a princess from the back of the stage to the front...it was moving in multiple ways.  Merrick was outsmarted by a poorly designed foyer curtain and in an attempt to run through it "Toro" style, quickly found that there was a wall directly behind the curtain.  We have strung a slackline between two trees in the backyard and Sophia is getting quite adept at walking the line.  Merrick and I are playing plenty of driveway hockey and I was strangely proud of him the other night for breaking his first stick....rites of passage.  School is done next week and Sophia is taking two summer school classses (Drama and Girl Talk).  I asked Merrick if he wanted to take summer school and his response was "Or what?"  He decided him and I would fish while sophia was at school...I tend to think that is a wonderful idea.