There is nothing more in the world that Nala enjoys than going on long walks. This afternoon Jeanine and I took her out for a good romp in the fields adjacent to our house. Left off leash she would extend her outdoor playtime to several hours and she is far too fast to catch if she is not of a mind to be caught. In the presence of other dogs, however, we can briefly drop the leash because she is so distracted by her playmates that we can easily reacquire her without engaging in a marathon sprint.

Shortly after dinner I took Maya to her indoor soccer game. Her intensity of play has now entered what I describe as the “meat eater” realm. It is that point where a player’s internal voice transitions from “it would be nice to score a goal” to “I am going to score a goal and no one is going to stop me.” That focus translated into three goals for Maya with some of her prettiest play to date.

On the home front, Kyle hung out with Hannah for the last time before both return to college and Jeanine had an impromptu Downton Abbey party (a review of the season two DVD in preparation for the beginning of season three) with her friends Irene and Maria.