model weekend

We had a pretty great weekend, the best one we've had in a long time. What made it so wonderful, you ask? (I know you are dying to know!) Nothing special, really. We didn't go out of town or do anything totally out of the ordinary, just had a good weekend hanging out with the boys, and the boys had a good weekend hanging out with each other without fighting too much (a factor that cannot be overestimated). On Saturday, we split up to run errands and get school supplies (yes, already!) and groceries. Liam and Henry went with me, and when we got home, we found Mike and Max working on bike riding, a skill Max has been just on the cusp of mastering for a very long time. And right then, it clicked for him. He was positively beaming as he figured out that he could do it on his own, and it was really something to see. And luckily, through the magic of the iPhone and about an hour spent trying to figure out how to get the video from phone to computer to upload it, you can!

Sunday morning, Max wanted to take his newfound skills on the road, so we all five rode out for a leisurely spin through the cemetery (which is big and has lots of paved paths). Then we came back home and hung out while Henry napped. Bethany and Klaudia came over and brought us carrots, potatoes, onions, squash, zucchini, and peppers from their garden (so awesome!), and after they left, we headed out to the dog park so Charlie could work on his social skills and Mike and the older boys could work on their frisbee throwing. After a while, Henry and I got bored and decided to take Charlie for a little walk on the Greenway trail, so we headed down and went over a couple of bridges and took Charlie down to the riverbank, where we discovered that although he won't take a drink from the doggie water fountain at the park, he'll wade right in to slurp up some river water.

Back at home, Mike made us a most excellent dinner (grilled tuna steaks, spicy pasta salad, and grilled asparagus and zucchini) and everyone was full and happy. And then the boys went to bed with nary a complaint, leaving us plenty of time to spend an evening just being together. Seriously, it's just the kind of weekend I could get used to -- and I hope I have a chance to!

pool party!

A great time was had by all (look at little Elly throwing diving rings for the big kids!) plus it was an excellent opportunity for me to test the capabilities of my zoom lens.

more from michigan

We did go to the beach, but I didn't take my camera. Also, it was chilly and windy and there was a storm coming in, so we didn't stay too awfully long. But there were still plenty of good times for the weekend, including a visit to a giant wooden playground, a stop for coffee that turned into a trip to a meat market for some homemade sausage and spicy mustard, lunch at a fancy tavern, pizza for dinner, and a birthday breakfast for Liam from the Swedish bakery. But the real highlight was our visit to Fernwood Botanical Garden, where we tromped around through the woods, visited a railway garden without having Henry cause a major catastrophe, navigated a plant maze, sampled from the herb garden, and got up close and personal with a bunch of turtles. Check it out:

liam at nine

We've started an unfortunate (for our pocketbooks!) trend this year of going away for birthday weekends. Liam's birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so we decided to celebrate by spending the weekend at Barb and Kevin's cottage in Michigan (hospitality for which we and our pocketbooks are profoundly grateful). We took the dog (his first trip with us) and we had a great time exploring the area and just hanging out together. We came back Sunday afternoon, which was a workday for Mike (inconvenient holiday schedule!) but the boys and I went to Hacienda for his birthday dinner and were joined by my parents, J, Loni, Bethany, Joe, and Klaudia. It was quite a meal to top off a pretty incredible weekend.

Our Liam is kind of at a tough age. He's old enough that I can trust him to be pretty responsible, but still young enough that he constantly ignores his responsibilities in favor of whatever fun thing is more appealing. He's old enough to ride his bike alone (within set boundaries), but still young enough that he doesn't always come home when he says he will. Yes, I know, these things will get worse as he gets older, but I'm hoping there is a sweet spot in there somewhere -- kind of the calm before the storm of the teenage years.

Right now, Liam is a blur of activity. He's spent his summer playing basketball, baseball, and tennis, and swimming. He got a new bike from us for his birthday, and has been tearing around the neighborhood. He has so much energy, and hardly sits still, though for the past couple of weeks has been spending his afternoons totally engrossed in reading. 

Liam's the elder statesman at home, and when school starts, he'll be in the highest grade (fourth) at the elementary school (next year, he moves up to intermediate school). Sometimes he tries to set a good example, but (and I totally get this) it's just so *hard* to be good all of the time. That part has been a real challenge for Liam (and his brothers!) lately because he wants to be good, but fighting and running and arguing are just too tempting.

For the third year running, we had a party at the local pool for Liam's birthday. This year, a whole bunch of kids came, and everyone (except for the kid who mysteriously got a bloody nose) was perfectly happy splashing and swimming and diving and horsing around. I am pretty sure that Liam's face hurt by the end of the party from all the smiling he was doing. And that, my friends, is what it's all about.

Happy birthday, Liam! We love you ... and we hope that you spend every birthday from here on out smiling until your cheeks are sore.