A Hot, Boring Day

Today was one of those hot days where you start with the best of intentions, but don't really achieve much. I intended to take the kids to the beach or the pool. For some reason, they didn't want to go. Since they were playing nicely together, I let them keep at that rather then dragging them somewhere they didn't want to be. (Coward!)

After a while we took the bikes down to the track and did laps. Xander probably did a mile and Nick a mile and a half. Xander also ran a lap around the track (ok, mostly ran). I think he has track potential - sometimes he just wants to run. Nick loves to run while playing a sport, but doesn't think much of running for the sake of running.

The track where we ride bikes has a big sand pit next to it, so the kids played there while they cooled off. They were mostly playing bury the bike, which, judging from the noise they were making, is crazy fun. I was just happy we found some shade.

After we came home, Nick played some Lego Star Wars on the Wii and finally defeated Darth Maul. Amazingly, he has almost finished all of the levels in the game. I'm pretty impressed by the problem solving skills he's developing. The game has action, but it is mostly about solving little puzzles to complete the levels. I for one believe kids can learn valuable skills from video games, just as long as it is done in moderation.

After naps and quiet time, we made a Target run for school supplies. I love how we have to supply kleenex and disinfecting wipes for the classroom these days. Nick was very excited with pencils, crayons, notebooks, erasers, etc... All Xander got was a new mattress pad. :-(

Last stop was at Byerly's were we scored some chocolate milk and some tahini so I can finally make some homemade hummus. We've been scouring the city for tahini, so this was a big success.

After dinner, Nick and I played a game of 'Nick Ball.' Nick Ball is played with a wiffle ball in our backyard. It is like 1-on-1 baseball, except the defense can throw the ball at the runner to get them out. (Hits to the head or private areas don't count!) Nick invented the game and named it after himself.

Nick can mostly hit the ball over our fence now for homeruns, but he tries to keep it in the park so I can try to get him out. He's become a pretty good dodger; I think he's set for dodge ball at school. I was at half-speed tonight due to a ankle injury suffered last night while rounding third and trying to dodge an incoming throw. Yes, I'm 38 years old.