A sunny Sunday

It rained a bit last night, and we did a little yard work this morning, now that the snow is finally gone from our lawn...after lunch we went out to enjoy the sun and breeze and play a bit in the front yard...


Ben and I played some Petanque, a cousin of Bocce, that in Lake Clear requires the ability to play off of natural hazards and terrain-based challenges (no packed clay courts here)...



Ben got the hang of it very quickly, lofting the ball nicely with a underhand and backspin that allowed him good control...Lake Clear rules require a beverage to be in hand during play, but I gave him a pass on this rule this time around...



He loved playing, and was a good sport when I would rain metallic death from above on his well-placed balls, and shoot them across the lawn with a satisfying clank-thunk...



Cedar chewed up both of the cochonnets that came with our set, so we now use a smallish rubber duckie instead...we all feel that it only adds to the quality of play and the dignity of our august sport...


Once we got on a roll, Ben wanted to continue, so we headed over to Lake Clear Elementary (Ben's school) for some soccer practice...Ben started out in goal and worked on his traps and kicks and throws and getting front of the ball...



He has definitely improved his kicking since last year, and is getting quite good at kicking with the ball/side of his foot...



Next, I took a turn in the goal and Ben would dribble the ball in and then shoot on me...



He had fun, tried his best, and was only occasionally distracted by his cool new flashing shoes...



After a while, we decided to head home, and are now enjoying some "M ommy-made" popcorn and watching "James and the Giant Peach in the cool cavelike downstairs of our home...