Whittling at KVI

E likes to whittle at the beach. He looks for driftwood sticks and turns them into driftwood spears. He is responsible for probably all the driftwood spears to be found scattered about at KVI. We like to throw rocks into the water, of course. And compete for the biggest splash. And dig rivers into which we transplant crabs. But nothing really compares to whittling.

Big

Day one of health class called for a current photo of D. Which, when I actually looked at it, blew me away. I know it wasn't overnight, but somehow looking at this particular picture startled me. D is big. He's big and yes there's kid in that picture and every picture shows a different person, but something about this one just looked so like the future, who he will be for the next little while.

blueish

licorice ice cream smeared all over the mouth is extremely cool. Apparently. Not to mention standing under the Señor Frog's sign. I don't know.

Pirate Party

Here's a bunch of Pirates bouncing safely on a friend's trampoline at a fun football party we attended recently. E is the kid in the bandanna jumping highest. D is off in the corner in orange trying to mess up little kids' bounces. The girls on the ground are steaming because the boys are hogging the whole thing.

13

On D's birthday, he and D battled for the title of "I can Beat You One on One" champion, a title still held, if lightly, by the father. Note height advantage.
More importantly, see those red markings on the garage, and see the way the garage door buckles and is missing chunks of paint? The latter come from years of basketball against flimsy wall. The red is duct tape, cleverly employed to hide the holes bashed through the wood by speeding lacrosse balls. Yeesh.

Another year, another movie party

Yeah, standing on the roof at the movie theater while you're waiting for all your friends to show up at the movie party is a decent way to celebrate your 11th birthday. Invited guests included the football team and then, of course, the posse. Like that. You can get up and change seats whenever you want, and go to the bathroom. All your friends can sing happy birthday to you at the end of the movie.

Break broke

First offensive play of the season, ping, E's pinky snaps just above the growth plate caught in a helmet or a jersey or who knows what. It blows up like a balloon by mid afternoon, so we're thinking it's not just a bruise. The doctor xrays it and tapes it up, splints it, wraps it, and so. It hurts. And it's blue.