cloudy weekend at the lake

This guy was there.

We also now have LAUNDRY!! I was so excited I actually took l.c. inside and held him up to the side of the washer to watch the water pour in. He wasn't sure why this was exciting exactly, but he humored me.

It was warm enough for these people to swim.









Oh, and her. She's just all cheeks, PLUS she laughed out loud for the first time yesterday, totally enchanted her parents and Aunt Kirsten. The rest of us didn't hear it, but it's recorded on Joe's phone.

In the clip of video, Heidi's head-thrown-back laughter in response to her baby's laugh is as beautiful to me as the child.


Okay, these two guys are playing one-card poker as a team, and it looks like this hand did not go well.


Collages were worked on.

He's wiggling the tricky wire on the video game





It's two dads cooking on Father's Day.

You know, for about thirty-two years now I've been hearing I'm not raising my kids right.


It's nothing new.

Will I be hearing it thirty-two years from now?

Ummm, probably.

It's possible.








Seventeen years ago, at my brother's wedding, a week before Maria was born, my Uncle Gary urged me out onto the dance floor.

He had me tucked against his chest, going in circles across the dance floor, and told me how much he loved me. Then he said, "I have not always agreed with what you've done with your kids."

"But Goddamnit, no one can argue with the results."

Sigh. He's got some pretty great kids too.

In the end, love is the only thing that matters. It's the only thing that ever has. love, love, love, Val