Kyle took little time to begin honing his croquet skills for the big tournament. Last year Kyle took a rather casual approach to the game. This year he was determined to defeat all opponents. His accuracy was greatly improved as was his power. He took particular joy from smashing his father’s ball into the next galaxy which he did on several occasions.

Nicolai quickly organized a volleyball match and proceeded to demonstrate a much-improved technique from last year. During day one, we were forced to play with a herniated ball, which added an interesting spin to the game.

Seth and Kyle also decided to test their speed against the ocean.

Maya made a bee line to the beach where she proceeded to race the waves, winning every heat.

Despite forecasts calling for rain and cold, we enjoyed two and half days of perfect weather at Ferry Beach with our friends at First Parish. Joining us this year were my parents and Kyle’s friend Seth.

A quote from my father: “I finally get it! The problem is I forget what it is or where I found it. I’ll let you know when I find it again.”

Maya getting the full beauty treatment from Nana this morning.

Kyle is spending a lot of time on the phone these days. I wonder who he is talking to?

My mother and father have come up for the weekend and will be joining us at Ferry Beach. Nana helps Maya with spelling as she composes a rap about a fat cat.

More goodies that I was not allowed to eat. It should be noted that I am frequently denied food in my own home because it is being saved for someone else. And then, should I be so fortunate as to stumble upon a hidden stash of cookies, for example, it comes as a great shock to the entire family that I feel compelled to eat a great quantity in anticipation of the long period of future deprivation that is sure to follow.

Preparation for a neighborhood coffee. Jeanine hosted an event for the Concord-Carlisle Parenting Initiative to encourage visitors to join. She is a member of the Board of this group which seeks to promote health and well-being and the prevention of risk-taking behaviors among the youth of our community. Nicolai offered interesting ideas on how to extricate this cake from the Pyrex.

Kyle is hard to get a picture of these days. I had to sneak up on him to get this one. Kyle is rapidly approaching his mother in height and his father in strength but because he lacks any wrestling training, we are still able to keep him in line. He continues to enjoy soccer and tennis and is especially devoted to improving his guitar playing skills. There is talk of his first on stage performance with the band at Ferry Beach.

Maya enjoying a little ice cream after dinner. The weather today was cold and rainy with more in store.

This morning we were treated to a wild turkey wandering through the backyard.