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!