Nico is busy preparing party favors for his upcoming birthday celebration. It is hard to believe he is turning 11. What happened to all of my babies? Looking forward to Mark & Marie’s new arrival and a visit with Bradley to get a fix.

Maya with her fellow kindergarteners preparing to give their end of the school year concert. The children sang 10 different songs and then invited the parents to learn the Zoodio dance with them. Maya was featured in several numbers and did a wonderful job. Dad it turns out is not a bad Zoodio dancer either.

Maya retaliates against her brother after capturing the hose from him. It must be 85 degrees outside and both children have come inside requesting hot chocolate (apparently the water was very cold). Today it feels like summer has really arrived.

A family of geese from the lake at work. We have three different families and it is fun to watch the youngsters growing each day.

Jeanine’s purple flowers are in full bloom. Click on the image for a more detailed view.

After my game, Nico, Maya and I went to the Willard Fun Festival. Maya fearlessly volunteered for dunk tank duty and was rewarded with a cool plunge. She also worked relentlessly at the bean bag toss, retrieving the bean bags while I collected tickets and supervised the kids as they sought to win fame and glory.

I measured up to my sons’ accomplishments this weekend, scoring a goal in my team’s win over Shrewsbury. Nicolai is becoming a very proficient sports photographer, timing this header perfectly. Didn’t realize I could still jump that high.

After the game, the team posed for a photo. I only had my telephoto lenses with me so I took this from about midfield. I am amazed they held their composure while I ran half way across the field to take the shot.

Nicolai executes a text book trap during today’s match against Hanscom. Concord won 4-1 and Nico scored one goal from about the 18. Jeanine reported that Kyle scored a goal in the first game of his tournament and his team achieved a 1-1 tie. Kyle also scored in the second game which resulted in a 1-0 victory. Maya’s team also won her game. Now it is up to dad to follow suit in a tough match tomorrow.

The final master piece.

Nico has set up a croquet course in the backyard and is working on his accuracy for next year’s Ferry Beach competition. Kyle and Jeanine are off to a soccer tournament in Amherst for the weekend, leaving me with the two chipmunks. We are looking forward to two days of unsupervised behavior and questionable nutrition.

Maya and Nicolai working on their Willard Carnival cake walk entry. They have chosen an ocean theme and are seen here adding Graham cracker “sand” and jellybean “rocks” to the sea floor. A photo of the final result will no doubt appear soon.

Apparently Maya’s grandmother taught her to knit during her recent visit. Today, after soccer practice, Maya announced that she needed to “work on her knitting” and was not available to play with her father. It is hard for me to fathom, but it appears she knows what she is doing.

For someone who is not particularly interested in birds I find them fascinating photographic subjects and fun to shoot. You need to find them, sneak up on them, and time your shots perfectly.