4-9, Nik and Abby

What characters they are.....

4-8, Badminton, anyone?

I was quite proud of Nikolas this weekend.  We went to Target to browse the items that he could purchase with the birthday gift cards he had received from his friends.  Video games were off limits (mean Mommy, I know....) and he couldn't find any toys that he liked.  We walked around through the outdoor stuff and he came across a volleyball/badminton set.  This is what he selected.  We worked on getting the net up and were off and playing....and playing....and playing (that's what happens when you get two competitive people, endless hours and beautiful weather).  We really enjoyed ourselves.  I was so proud that he had chosen this -- something we could play together that didn't involve a screen or ending up in the 'not really played with' pile.  I think that net will be a fixed, good weather feature in our backyard.  I'm not so sure the neighbors will love us when they hear us bickering about points though! Ha! We alternated between matches of volleyball and badminton.....until I....just....coudn't....take...it.... anymore.  OWWWW!!!!  How did I EVER toughen up my arms enough to play in high school?!  When I got the bruise on my left arm (a beautiful green ring around a  goose-egg red bump in the center), I had to call it quits.  (I swear, I didn't even hit the ball on that part of my arm-- I'm not sure how I managed that one.....)  Nikolas was disappointed that I wasn't "manning up" (yes, again, sorry neighbors.....and yes, he did say that).  The funny part is when he couldn't wait for Sven to get home from work that day so he could play volleyball with his dad.....and that lasted all of 3 minutes until Nikolas quit because HIS arms hurt so bad.  Hmmmm.......Anyway, we've settled on badminton as our game of choice.  It's nice playing with Nikolas and remembering all the games I'd played with Grandma O. and Mom when we camped up Little West Fork.  Good times....

3-31, "Hey, Hey, Hey!!"

After a few emotionally exhausting weeks, it was liberating to spend an evening with the one and only Bill Cosby.  I had put the show on my wish list back in the fall, and Sven surprised me at Christmas with tickets.  The wait from December to March seemed quite long-- and even more so with the events that had transpired as of late.  The timing couldn't have been more perfect.  We had a babysitter lined up for the afternoon and early evening (we don't understand why parents choose to pay good money for a sitter to watch tv while their child sleeps-- pay them to play with them is what we say!).  Can you believe Mr. Cosby will be 75 on July 12?!  I knew neither fact-- his age or that he and Grandma G. share the same birthday.  Pretty neat.  I don't know which is more amazing:  that he's still touring at that age or that his humor is ageless.  What a cool guy.  The show was too short for our preference (only an hour and a half-- I could have listened to his jokes all night) and ended with a joke that would have had Nikolas rolling on the floor.  Let's hope this night out and evening of humor can sustain us for a little while.....