Today’s Photo

Lots of photos posted on NMK today, but this is my favorite. It’s Alex (5) and Kiley (7) on the berm at Isotopes Park. Their mother Emily took this picture August 8th.

Making a Splash

Been hanging with some of The Sweeties for this past week — with more to come. That means, of course, that I’ve been in the National Capital Area. Love it here in late July and early August: 95 degrees and a billion percent humidity.

The divisional swim meet was Saturday and three of The Sweeties competed and won a passel of ribbons. On Sunday Aidan (6) and Mack (9) were recognized as their 315-kid team’s most improved (for boys 6-and-under and boys 9-10 respectively). Aidan won the same trophy last year. Kiley (7) should win a lot of points next year when she’s among the oldest kids in her age group. Alex (5) and Reid (4) will compete next year — each has already swum a complete 25 meter lap.

Glad to have such strong swimmers for grandkids, especially after the tragic news story from Arkansas earlier this week. I’m a very poor swimmer myself and didn’t even learn until I was in college. According to a couple of studies reported at Slate, one third of adults claim they cannot swim the length of a pool (25 meters) and more than half of teenagers cannot do more than splash around in the shallow end.

Today’s Photo

Three of The Sweeties leaving the swim meet last Saturday. That’s Alex (5), Aidan (6) and Mack (9). Aidan and Mack are brothers; Alex their cousin. Jill took this photo.

Today’s Photo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Not really. It’s the Sweetie with the Dragon arm painting. Photo of Sofie’s arm taken last Saturday at the farmer’s market in Louisville, Colorado, with an iPhone 3G.

Today’s Photo

Emily, official younger daughter of NewMexiKen, is coaching an 8-and-under softball team this spring. None of the girls had ever played before. They struggled during the regular season — I saw a couple of their early games — all losses and mostly strikeouts — but they got better.

This week the girls entered the championship tournament as the third place team — out of four — but they’ve won all three of their games and go into Saturday in the winner’s bracket. The other remaining team will have to beat them twice.

Go Lime Turtles!

That’s the coach with her daughter, Sweetie Kiley.

Photo taken by Jill a few weeks ago.

Today’s Photo

Jill took this photo Saturday as Aidan competed in the butterfly.

Today’s Photo

Kiley (7), Aidan (6), Reid (4), Alex (5) and Mack (9) sending good wishes to their cousin Sofie (6) who was having her tonsils taken out the next day. Photo by Jill on Wednesday.

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Slacker

Last Saturday 9-year-old Mack ran a mile race and took second overall for kids 12 and under. Exactly 30 minutes after finishing the mile, he ran a 5K finishing fourth in his age group.

There were 500 runners altogether in the two races.

(Mack’s brother Aidan won the mile for boys 6 and under. Their cousin Kiley took second among girls 7-8. Aidan and Kiley declined to also run the 5K.)

From the runs Mack went to a chess tournament. He had a draw and a loss before having to leave early (his brother Reid had a playground accident resulting in a dislocated shoulder).

Later in the afternoon Mack played a half of soccer.

Sunday’s football game was rained out.

Photo taken between the mile and the 5K. His day was just beginning.

Today’s Photo

That’s Alex looking to turn the 1-4-3 double play in pre-T-ball. I love this photo but regret not including both of his feet (that is, his full body) and having greater depth of field to have both his face and the ball in sharper focus. If I had done both those technical things, I think I would have had a classic. Alex will turn 5 next Monday.

15K

Three of the Sweeties ran a 5K early this morning — and all three medaled. It was the first 5K ever for Kiley (7) and Aidan (6). They took third in the K-1 age group, girls and boys. Mack took second for third grade boys.

All three play team sports later in the day.

Still one of my favorite Sweetie photos ever

First posted here two years ago.

Buy kids all the video games and Disney princess paraphernalia in the world — or let them drop stones down a storm drain grate at the soccer field. Which to you think they’ll choose?

Five of The Sweeties® demonstrate. Click image for larger version.

Redux post of the day

First posted here six years ago today.

Look out, Barry!

Three-year-old Mack informs everyone (through his mommy) that he was one of only two kids to hit a home run* during his at bat at tee ball class today. Yay Mack!

*”Home runs” are conditional in many ways. Some, but not all, of the factors that contribute to a tee ball home run include:

1) How well the child hits the ball off the tee.

2) The speed with which the instructor reaches the child and redirects him towards first base after the child goes tearing indiscriminately towards left field.

3) How many of the children playing in the field are actually paying attention to the at bat, rather than standing at the bleachers asking their mommies for goldfish crackers.

4) The “coming within ten to twelve feet of second base is close enough” clause.

5) Which child fields the ball. It’s usually Zachary or Carson (“The Big Kids”), and no way are you getting a home run. But if your ball accidentally trickles right up to the feet of Noah (“The Kid Who Won’t Participate Without His Mommy”) you stand a chance.

There may be hope yet

Jill has yet another new post at Dinner without Crayons. She begins:

Sometimes I worry about my kids’ taste in music. I’ve introduced them to all the classics – and by classics I don’t mean Tchaikovsky but rather The Beatles, Elvis, Fleetwood Mac, Motown.

But despite my attempts to steer them towards quality tunes, they have an unrelenting tendency to embrace the trashiest current music they can find.

The most important dessert of the day

At Dinner without Crayons, Jill writes about breakfast dessert and other assorted adventures with the Gruesome Threesome. A brief excerpt:

The children, smelling my vulnerability like a dog smells fear, will then gleefully band together to try to break me. I think they must theorize that if they put me into a mental hospital, and their daddy is still off “working,” they will have free reign over the house and can skip school and watch Cartoon Network and rated R movies all day.

Today’s Photo

The Five Virginia Sweeties ham it up for Easter.

Reid

Sweetie Reid is 4 today.

Reid is his great grandfather’s middle name — and his great great grandfather’s given name.

Reid’s middle name is Fisher, which is my middle name — and my dad’s middle name and my granddad’s middle name.

So then, both Reid and Fisher are fifth generation names.

Reidie got all the family heirlooms.

Today’s Photo

Reid won’t be four until Tuesday, but his party was yesterday. “Silly” fits him well.

Release me, let me go

No Kiley hasn’t been released from jail and forced to wear an ankle bracelet. She’s just ready to run a mile.

And she did, finishing fifth among 32 women ages 7-8. Aidan finished third among boys ages 6 and under. Mack was third among boys ages 9-10 and sixth overall out of 120 male runners through age 13. Mack ran the mile in 6:58, great for his first race of the season.

Live 2 B Green

Sofia, one of my Wild Irish Sweeties, celebrates St. Patrick’s Day.

Best Sweetie line of the day

Veronica, tucking 6-year-old Sofie into bed after a loooong weekend: “I love you. You are my princess.”

Sofie: “I love you, too. You are my servant.”

Redux redux post of the day

This one was first posted here five years ago today.

It was titled: What four-year-old boys sometimes do to their one-year-old brothers when Mom isn’t looking

The little guy seems more proud than irritated.

Redux post of the day

First published here four years ago today.

Mack, official oldest grandchild of NewMexiKen, was nervous. According to his mother, it was “pajama day” at Little Lambs pre-school. That meant that all the five-year-olds were supposed to wear a favorite pair of pajamas to school. In his pajamas in the car on the way however, it felt a little uncertain.

To alleviate the uncertainty — which by then had started to settle into her own mind — his mom began to suggest other “clothing days” there might be. In the joking that followed, Mack suggested — as 5-year-old boys will — “underpants day.”

His mother assured him there would be no day when the kids just wore underpants to class — at least not until college.

Today’s Photo

Mack and Aidan, their second time on skis, today.

I played with this photo some to see if I could lighten the boys’ faces without losing the shadows in the snow behind them. I had no luck. Anyone know how to do that (with simple photo editing tools)?

Best Sweetie line of the day

“Oh, Mack has been on skis once in his life. But that hasn’t stopped him from planning how he will act on the medal stand after he wins his downhill gold. (Rock and roll finger horns yes, mouthing the national anthem no.) The kid does not suffer from a lack of confidence.” Mack’s Mom

Innocent bystander

Jill tells about a variation on brotherly love.

And, from three years ago, even then Mack always had HIS priorities set.