shu and The Nana

joshua's been the lucky recipient of Time with Nana lately.

on and off, i join them in their escapades.

this particular time, i was seated on a bench with Boompa and The Great Nana,

marvelling at how my son can throw rocks into the lake. over and over.

without a break, without an end.

master of his domain

ABCDs, the Uke remix

during halftime this past weekend, 

the shu shared his latest talent: the ukelele.

i cannot (and will not ever) 

get enough of the look on his face when he finishes.

"oh, so...you were all watching? why, i had no idea... 

i'm just in it for the music, man..."

the boys and their park

chess

what does one do when some very dear friends

(of whom no pictures were taken...sad!)

leave after a weekend of fun?

one grabs some milk, turns on one's game face,

and plays some serious chess. 

escaping the heat

sometimes you think

cramming a handful of cousins

into varying vehicles for a Free Summer Movie

is a pretty genius idea.

until you get to the theater with 5 minutes to spare

(see earlier "cramming" and "handful" and "cousins")

and get turned away...

No Room in the Inn Air Conditioning.

but we kids can find joy and festivity elsewhere--

even when slightly overdressed for the party.

i beg you to click and enlarge this picture. my brave boy :)

madi tries to encourage the shu

steven

starting to enjoy himself

steven, of course

our little logie

miss madison

logan bobby, afraid of no thing

this is the bean in a nutshell

there you go, buddy. its meant to be enjoyed, not endured.

lessie

the crew, minus one pair of shorts.